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Russia's energy minister discusses gas talks with German special representative

The consultations in the Russia-EU-Ukraine format took place on October 28, 2019

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russia's Minister of Energy Alexander Novak discussed the results of the latest gas consultations of the EU, Russia, and Ukraine with the German government's authorized representative for gas transit through Ukraine Bernhard Graf von Waldersee, the ministry said on Thursday.

"During the meeting, topical issues of energy cooperation between Russia and Germany were discussed, as well as the results of trilateral consultations at the ministerial level in the Russia-EU-Ukraine format on gas transit through Ukraine after 2019, held in Brussels on October 28, 2019," the ministry informed.

The most recent round of trilateral consultations between Russia, the European Union, and Ukraine on gas transit to Europe was held on October 28 in Brussels. Following it, the parties for the first time since 2014 brought up the subject of resuming direct deliveries of Russian gas to Ukraine. They agreed to continue consultations in November.

The current ten-year contract for gas transit through Ukraine expires at the end of 2019. By that time, Russia plans to launch two gas pipelines bypassing the country — Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream — but their capacities will not be enough to completely replace pipelines passing through the territory of Ukraine. Both Moscow and Kiev expect to sign a new contract before the end of the year so as not to repeat the mistakes of the winter of 2008-2009, which saw the most serious interruptions in gas supplies to Europe in history.

Meanwhile, the Danish Energy Agency earlier granted a permit to Nord Stream 2 AG to construct a section of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline southeast of the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, the agency said in a press release on Wednesday. Nord Stream 2 AG, the project operator, reported it would initiate the preparatory work and the pipelay in Denmark in coming weeks.