Russia, Ukraine and the EU held consultations on gas transit

Ukraine, the European Union and Russia held technical consultations as part of the preparation of a new phase of gas transit negotiations after January 1, 2020, according to the website of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. The parties discussed Ukraine’s progress in the implementation of EU legislation, as well as the creation of an independent GTS operator (gas transmission system). In addition, they talked about signing an agreement on cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian GTS operators. They discussed the methodology of tariff formation during gas transportation. The next tripartite gas transit talks are expected to take place on October 28. RBC sent a request to Ukraine’s Naftogaz. The current gas transit contract between Russia and Ukraine ends on December 31. In early October, head of Naftogaz Andriy Kobolyev said that the extension of the contract is pointless. Kyiv insists on concluding a new contract under European law and with a new operator. Head of Gazprom Alexey Miller said that if the Ukrainian authorities did not have time to implement the provisions of the Third Energy Package before the end of 2019, the only option to continue gas transit through Ukrainian territory would be to extend the existing contract. RBC