UPDATE 1-Russia, Ukraine agree on gas talks on Sept 6, await EU decision
(Adds details, quotes)
US KHATYN, Russia, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Russia’s Energy
Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday that Moscow and Kyiv
have agreed to hold a new round of talks to resolve a gas crisis
on Sept. 6.
“I put 80 percent (of possibility) that the meeting will
happen,” Novak told reporters, adding that Russia and Ukraine
are now awaiting the European Commission’s decision on whether
their representative would join the talks.
After talks with European Energy Commissioner Guenther
Oettinger on Friday in Moscow, Novak said that Russia was ready
to offer Ukraine a discount of $100, bringing the price per
1,000 cubic metres to $385.
The proposal was rejected by Kyiv.
Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Ukraine in June after Kyiv
failed to pay off its debts. Gas supplies to Europe, which gets
a third of its needs from Russia with around a half coming via
Ukraine, were unaffected so far.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; writing by Katya Golubkova;
Editing by Lidia Kelly and Susan Thomas)