Ukraine, Slovak authorities still in ‘constructive’ gas link talks
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Ukrainian and Slovak authorities are in “very constructive negotiations” on a reverse-flow pipeline deal to help curb Ukraine’s dependence on Russian gas, European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said. European Commission officials and Ukraine’s energy minister said earlier this month the deal was all but agreed and just needed to be signed by both sides.
Since then, however, Kyiv has announced it is not ready to sign a so-called Eastern Partnership deal with Europe, a four-year-old programme of outreach to former Soviet states. Asked on the sidelines of an industry conference in Berlin about the pipeline agreement, Oettinger said it was not complete but negotiations continued.
Brussels has a keen interest in strengthening ties with Kyiv, whose gas price disputes with Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom have disrupted supplies to Ukraine and the European Union.
In tandem with the talks on a wider political partnership, EU officials have been seeking to convert Ukraine from a troubled transit state for Russian gas into an energy hub. It would develop its own shale gas reserves and ship gas to and from the 28-country European Union with the help of pipelines that send gas in both directions as well as virtual reverse flow, meaning companies just change the destination of Russian gas intended for the EU.
Copyright Reuters, 2013