BRUSSELS, 23 may. /TASS/. Brussels intends to achieve the long-term “and commercially viable” transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to EU countries after the completion of the current contract in 2019, and invited Moscow and Kiev at the tripartite talks on gas at the level of Ministers of energy to discuss this problem.
This is stated in a statement on Wednesday, the Deputy head of the EC on the Energy Union maroš Šefčovič.
Ukraine has repeatedly declared that is ready to hold tripartite talks on gas transit after 2019. This is not surprising, because only the intervention of the European Commission can afford to provide at least the minimum loading of the gas transportation system of Ukraine after a ten-year contract signed by Russia and Ukraine in 2009. After its termination and commissioning of the “Nord stream – 2”, which will provide power for straight pump gas to Europe without the mediation of Ukraine and Slovakia, the economic need for Russia to Ukrainian and Slovak transit will disappear.
Sefcovic (Slovakia, EU) have repeatedly stated that the European Commission is interested in preservation of Ukraine’s revenues from the transit of Russian gas (up to $2.7 billion per year), since losses of this article Kiev will only cover the Brussels.
