Brussels, 08/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the time of EUROPE going to press on Monday 8 September, European Commissioner for Energy Gunter Oettinger was meeting Ukraine's Minister for Energy Yuriy Prodan on the sidelines of a meeting, in Baku, of energy ministers from the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine).
Before meeting Oettinger bilaterally, Prodan told press of Ukraine's readiness to work on a compromise with Russia on the issue of Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine. “We are set for working out a compromise. Our suggestions on the issue have always been similar to those of the European Union, and we hope it will continue to be so in future”, he said, as quoted by Russian news agency Iter-Tass.
Two months after the failure of talks in mid-June on the price of Russian gas for Ukraine and on Kiev's payment of its bills to Gazprom (which resulted in the halt of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine), Russia and Ukraine are to try and return to the negotiating table - with the EU's mediation. This meeting with Russia's Minister for Energy Alexander Novak could take place in mid-September. (EH)