MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Gas talks between Russia and Ukraine with the EU’s mediation will be held in Brussels on October 29, a Russian Energy Ministry spokesman said on Monday.
“We confirm that the meeting will take place on October 29 in Brussels,” the spokesman said.
Russia and Ukraine continue gas talks with the EU’s mediation to resolve the gas dispute and ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to Europe in winter.
The latest three-party gas meeting in Brussels on October 21 once again ended without the expected result as no sources of financing for the repayment of Kiev’s debt were found.
Ukraine’s failure to repay its debt for already supplied gas is the key obstacle to a temporary gas deal with Russia, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said after the three-party talks.
Ukraine has not paid for already seven months for the natural gas supplied by Russia, the EU energy commissioner said.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said after the latest gas talks that the European Commission had not yet found the financing sources for Ukraine’s gas repayment.
“We believe that possible sources include guarantees by top-class European banks, bridge loans and funds from the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) or the European Commission,” the Russian energy minister said.
The European Commission believes that funds, which the Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz is receiving for the transit of Russian natural gas via its territory, can be used to pay for interim gas supplies to Ukraine, Oettinger said.
However, Russian Energy Minister Novak said an interim gas agreement between Russia and Ukraine does not stipulate a possibility for using Gazprom’s gas transit payments as an offset for Ukraine’s gas debt.