Energy Ministry sees transit deal with Ukraine signed in Sep-Oct

KEMEROVO, Mar 25 (PRIME) -- The Russian Energy Ministry expects to sign an agreement with Ukraine to continue natural gas transit after 2019 in September–October if not in May, Deputy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky told reporters on Monday.

Earlier in March, Ukrainian energy holding Naftogaz Ukrainy’s Executive Director Yury Vitrenko said that transit of Russian gas to the E.U. through Ukraine might stop in 2020 after the current contract expires because the absence of a transit agreement was the most probable scenario.

“(The transit through Ukraine) will continue, why not if we sign a new contract after the current one expires in 2019. I am sure that we will agree on that, there is no doubt. My plans include a meeting with them in May, and we will meet in a trilateral way in September–October,” Yanovsky said.

“We expect that agreements to hold trilateral negotiations in May will be kept, and we are ready for the talks. We expects to some extent that we will agree with Ukraine on transit after 2020. If it does not happen in May, it will happen in October.”

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