PM: Russia sees no signals from Ukraine on gas transit deal

KIEV, Mar 22 (PRIME) -- Russia sees no serious signals from Kiev on signing of a gas transit deal through Ukraine after the current contract expires at the end of 2019, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told members of Ukraine’s Opposition Party – For Life, as broadcast by Ukrainian television channel 112 Ukraine on Friday.

“We could discuss a wide range of issues that are absolutely relevant, I mean the current situation in the sphere of economic cooperation in the first place. I also mean the gas aspect, as it is well-known that the gas agreement expires this year and we have to make up our minds what to do next. We have not seen any serious signals from the current authorities of Ukraine over this topic,” he said.

Leader of the party and Ukrainian presidential candidate Yury Boiko said that the transit contract ensures more than 50,000 jobs in Ukraine and adds more than U.S. $3 billion to the budget.

“We cannot allow the contract to stop, as it would create serious problems for our gas transportation system and for the economy in general…We are ready to offer and consider different options of mutually beneficial resumption of the transit contract after the existing contract expires at the end of the year. And the most important issue is a direct contract for gas supplies to the country,” he said.

Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch and chairman of the opposition party’s political council, said that Ukraine was interested in maintaining transit of Russian gas by creation of a gas transportation consortium.

“This is our position with Yury Anatolyevich (Boiko) and it is the position of the…party that we need a gas transportation consortium so that Gazprom is interested on the one hand…and that the European consumers are interested, as well as Ukraine that will transit the gas,” he said.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said that the company was ready to prolong the transit contract basing on its existing edition, and that the Russian gas giant was ready to consider Ukraine’s proposals to create the consortium. The company is also ready to sign a contract with Ukraine to sell gas to the country directly, sending prices for Ukrainian households down by about 25%, he said.

Medvedchuk also said that Russia was still Ukraine’s major trade and economic partner in 2018.

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