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Ukraine hopes for understanding with Russia on amending gas contracts

Ukraine's Energy Minister noted that the Ukrainian government has not taken any decisions on the signing of that or other agreements with Russia

© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

KIEV, December 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine will manage to reach mutual understanding with the Russian partners, and the natural gas contracts will be amended, believes Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Eduard Stavitsky. He expressed this view in the Freedom of Speech program on the ICTV channel on Monday evening.

“I hope that we will gain understanding (with Russia), and these contracts will be reformatted,” Stavitsky said. He also noted that the Ukrainian government “has not taken any decisions on the signing of that or other agreements with Russia.” “The work is in progress,” he added.

Stavitsky said that a working group led by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Boiko was currently in Moscow and “is dealing with strategic issues.” “As for the energy industry, I believe that we will calculate these matters, which include the possible creation of a [gas] consortium. You know that Germany has recently displayed an interest in [possible] membership in a trilateral consortium [of Russia, Ukraine and Germany] and expressed its view on the participation in the negotiations,” Stavitsky said.

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