Russian Energy Ministry Confident Will Reach Deal With Kiev On Gas Transit After 2019

The Russian Energy Ministry is confident that it will manage to secure an agreement on gas transit with Ukraine after 2019 at the upcoming trilateral talks or at the next round of Russia-Ukraine-EU consultations in October, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoli Yanovsky said Monday

KEMEROVO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2019) The Russian Energy Ministry is confident that it will manage to secure an agreement on gas transit with Ukraine after 2019 at the upcoming trilateral talks or at the next round of Russia-Ukraine-EU consultations in October, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoli Yanovsky said Monday.

Naftogaz' executive director, Yuriy Vitrenko, said earlier in the month that Russian gas supplies via Ukraine could be stopped when the current contract expired in 2020. The official also said that the "most likely scenario" was the parties failing to extend the deal.

"Why, the transit will be kept if the new contract is signed. I am sure we will reach a consensus, no doubts about that," the deputy minister said.

"We expect that the agreements on holding trilateral talks in May will be respected, and we are ready for these talks. We expect that we will be able to agree with Ukraine on gas transit after 2020. If this does not happen in May, it will probably happen in October," the official added.