Brussels, 19/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger and the Russian and Ukrainian ministers for energy - Alexander Novak and Yuriy Prodan respectively - have agreed to meet again on 26 September in Berlin in order to try and resolve the gas dispute between Moscow and Kiev, said Oettinger's spokesperson on Friday 19 September.
Two months after the failure of the trilateral talks and the halt of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine in mid-June, Russians and Ukrainians are to try and come to an agreement on a provisional price for the Russian gas supplied to Ukraine, and on a plan for repaying the Ukrainian debt to Russian gas company Gazprom.
The halt of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine and the tension between Europe and Russia in the context of the Ukrainian crisis are creating fears of disruption to the EU's supplies in Russian gas - half of which transits Ukraine. As in 2006 and 2009, the EU runs the risk of Ukraine taking part of the gas transiting Ukrainian territory this winter in order to deal with Ukraine's shortage.
According to Novak, Moscow is ready to resume its deliveries to Ukraine in exchange for part-payment of Ukraine's debt - which stands at $5 billion according to Gazprom - with the payment of $1.451 billion for the November-December period. Furthermore, Gazprom is ready to approve a reimbursement of $780 million while lowering the price of Ukraine's gas invoices since April to around $385 per 1,000m3, compared with the $485 price up until now, said Novak on Friday. (EH)