BERLIN, July 17. /TASS/. Russia is ready for a constructive dialog and tradeoffs in gas talks with Ukraine, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on Tuesday after bilateral negotiations with Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic.

"We have a constructive attitude and hope that all parties will discuss in this course," the minister said. Novak elected not to articulate Russia’s proposals on transit volumes and noted he would speak about them later.

The trilateral meeting of representatives of Russia, the European Union and Ukraine is scheduled to start at 15.30 Moscow time.

The need to hold negotiations arose primarily because two contracts signed in 2009 by and between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine on gas supplies to Ukraine and gas transit to Europe will expire at the turn of 2019. The issue of maintaining Russian gas transit after 2019 is also discussed in the context of planned construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.