Zelenskyy Confirms Kiev Will Be Reliable Partner In Gas Transit Issue- Presidential Office

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed during a telephone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel that Kiev will continue to be a reliable partner regarding the gas transit issue, the presidential press service said on Wednesday

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2019) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed during a telephone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel that Kiev will continue to be a reliable partner regarding the gas transit issue, the presidential press service said on Wednesday.

On Monday, following the Normandy Four summit in Paris, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart discussed Russian gas transit to Europe through Ukraine. Though the parties did not reach any final agreement, they decided to continue talks at the level of ministers and heads of gas companies.

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine would remain a reliable partner in the issue of gas transit, and thanked the EU for its support in the trilateral negotiations," the press service said.

According to the press service, Michel welcomed Ukraine's progress in the implementation of reforms for European integration and confirmed the bloc's readiness to further assist Kiev in the process.

"The leaders of Ukraine and the European Union discussed vectors of further cooperation in the implementation of the agreements reached during the 21st EU-Ukraine Summit," the statement said.

The current gas transit contract is set to expire this year. In November, Gazprom sent Ukraine's Naftogaz an official proposal to extend the transit contract or enter into a new one for one year, taking into account the projected demand in the EU. According to the Russian gas giant, the prerequisite for continued transit is that both sides must give up their lawsuits and claims to antitrust authorities against one another.

At the same time, Gazprom said it was waiting for Ukraine's position regarding its readiness to directly purchase Russian gas beginning in 2020. In return, Naftogaz said that Kiev would not withdraw its lawsuits against Russia's Gazprom lodged in international arbitration courts unless it could reach a gas transit and delivery deal with Russia. It also confirmed its readiness to consider Gazprom's proposals on the return of $3 billion in debt and discuss compensation so that Kiev would not proceed with an additional $12.2 billion lawsuit.