Russia, Ukraine, EU agree on winter gas supply

Russia has agreed to resume gas supplies to Ukraine this winter under a deal set with the European Commission. The agreement on the terms of gas delivery from 1st October […]

Russia has agreed to resume gas supplies to Ukraine this winter under a deal set with the European Commission.

The agreement on the terms of gas delivery from 1st October to end of March 2016 follows months of negotiation.

Ukraine had stopped buying natural gas from Russia in July this year after ministers from Kiev and Moscow failed to reach a final agreement at gas supply talks in Vienna.

It followed Russia’s state-owned company Gazprom threatening to turn off the taps in February.

The Commission said the Russian Government has committed to lowering the gas price to Ukraine by decreasing export duty “to a competitive level comparable to the neighbouring EU countries”.

Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President for Energy Union added: “The agreement on the terms of the new Winter Package is a crucial step towards ensuring that Ukraine has sufficient gas supplies in the coming winter and there is no threat to the continued reliable gas transit from Russia to the EU.

“The initialising demonstrates that both parties live up to their roles as reliable partners in the gas business. I am confident that the agreement will be soon confirmed and smoothly implemented for the benefit of all parties concerned.”

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