Russia will not agree to a long-term gas agreement with Ukraine
Russia, which is completing the construction of bypass pipelines - Turkish Stream and Nord Stream 2, will no longer sign a long-term gas transit contract with Ukraine, as Kyiv is seeking.
Dmitry Marunich, a Ukrainian expert on energy issues, stated this on the NewsOne TV channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
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“In general, it would be beneficial for Ukraine to reach a normal agreement with the Russians, maybe for 10 years. But the Russians will no longer agree to this. Obviously, this would guarantee the local GTS operator for these 10 years. It would be possible to plan your activities, repairing collapsing pipes, which is already an extremely pressing issue. But the Russians will no longer agree to this,” Marunich said.
However, he believes that it is impossible to extend the current agreement for a year, as Moscow proposes, because in Ukraine, the management of the gas transportation system was removed from the subordination of Naftogaz in accordance with European standards.
“It is impossible to extend the current contract - from January 1 next year, another entity must be created, which must be authorized to sign the contract,” the expert explained.
Kyiv and Moscow continue negotiations on the fate of gas transit. The current agreement ends on December 31, 2019. Ukraine insists on signing a new long-term agreement, taking advantage of the situation, since the Russian Federation does not have time to launch bypass pipelines. Russia does not need a new agreement for several years, since after the commissioning of Nord Stream 2 and the Turkish Stream, the importance of the Ukrainian gas transportation system will decrease.
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