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Ukraine’s Naftogaz interested in Russian gas transit, talks expected soon

By 2020, Ukraine has to renew the contract on transiting Russian gas, US experts noted at the seminar

© EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY

WASHINGTON, June 20. /TASS/. Ukrainian national oil and gas company Naftogaz wants to transit Russian gas after 2020, head of Business Development department at Naftogaz Yuri Vitrenko told TASS.

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"Yes, it is interested in this," Vitrenko said after attending a seminar "Naftogaz and future of Ukraine’s energy sector" in the US Atlantic Council in Washington. "Currently, we are planning talks, we just cannot agree on a place now."

The talks may take place "in the near future," he said, explaining this interest by the decision of the Stockholm Arbitration Court stating that the sides should try to agree on a range of issues based on the principles defined by it.

By 2020, Ukraine has to renew the contract on transiting Russian gas, US experts noted at the seminar. "If we do not agree with Gazprom and if European companies do not buy gas on the Russian market and order services of Ukraine’s gas pipeline system, in this situation, naturally, we don’t expect the demand for the transit through Ukraine’s territory," Vitrenko said.

Naftogaz will have to change tariffs and apply the so-called accelerated amortization, he added. "Gazprom should pay more now as then it won’t pay anything at all."

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