PREVIEW - Brussels To Host Second Round Of EU-Backed Russia-Ukraine Gas Talks On Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) Russia and Ukraine will hold Monday a second round of EU-backed talks in Brussels on natural gas transit to Europe once the existing arrangement expires this year.

Russia will be represented by Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Gazprom chief executive Alexey Miller, while Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev will speak for Ukraine.

The talks will be mediated by European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, who is in charge of EU's energy union project and energy security.

The European Union seeks firm guarantees from Russia and Ukraine that gas supplies to Europe will continue after their contract expires on December 31, 2019.

At the first round of trilateral talks in Berlin in July 2018 Russia and Ukraine agreed to set up a working group to discuss long-term gas transit.

Russia's Miller said afterwards he did not treat these meetings as negotiations between the two national energy companies. Gazprom and Naftogaz have been in a long contractual dispute.