A trilateral meeting between the European Commission, Russia and Ukraine will take place on Monday 21 January in Brussels to discuss the future of gas transit via Ukraine. This is the second round of trilateral political talks on securing the transit via Ukraine of Russian gas purchased by the EU, following a first meeting on 17 July 2018 in Berlin.
The following will be present at this meeting: Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the Commission responsible for the Energy Union, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Andriy Kobolyev, CEO of Naftogaz, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom.
Maroš Šefčovič said that since the first meeting held in Berlin six months ago, “a couple of talks” at senior expert level have taken place since then “and it is time to take stock of where we are in the process and discuss the way forward on the key parameters agreed in Berlin”.
The Commissioner believes that both sides must make a strong commitment to advance in the talks, given that the existing transit contract expires at the end of this year.
Monday's discussions will focus on the key parameters agreed in Berlin, notably the applicable legal framework, volumes, duration and tariffs, the Commission says. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)