ST. PETERSBURG, June 30. /TASS/. The next year will determine Gazprom’s work in the midterm perspective, said Alexei Miller, the CEO and chairman of the major Russian energy compan.

Miller told reporters that Gazprom plans to start gas deliveries to China next year. Besides, the company’s gas transit contract with Ukraine expires the same year.

"I think that speaking about 2019, considering [plans] to put into operation gas transportation capacities, we can refert to it as the mainline, fateful and decisive in terms of conditions in which we will work in the midterm perspective," he said.

"I think one can agree that this is going to be a landmark period," the Gazprom chief added.

He said that currently Gazprom its nearing its maximum annual gas export figures.

"We are reaching the gas export level of about 200 billion cubic meters," he said.

According to Miller, the company exported 101.2 billion cubic meters of gas in the first six months of 2018.

"In the past three years, gas exports in the second half of a year exceeded first half’s figures by between 1.5 billion and 6.5 billion cubic meters (of gas). Let’s do some simple calculations: multiply 101.2 by two, and then add any figure between 1.5 and 6.5 to it. The result of 205 (billion cubic meters) and higher appears to be quite possible," the Gazprom CEO said.

Gazprom’s record annual gas deliveries under all export contracts stand at 205.3 billion, he added.