Gazprom, Naftogaz to Hold Talks on Pipeline Consortium This Week

Prime reports that the Russian gas giant Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz Ukrainy will hold negotiations next week on the establishment of a consortium that would operate Ukraine’s gas transport system, Ukraine’s Energy and Coal Industry Minister Eduard Stavitsky said Thursday.

“Next week there will be a meeting. Experts will hold talks, a group of Gazprom’s experts will arrive,” he said.

Heavily dependent on imports of Russian gas, Ukraine has been striving to revise gas prices, which it considers excessive. Kiev is trying to find alternative sources of gas and increase its own production.

Gazprom will undertake to supply at least 60 billion cubic meters of gas annually, cut prices and guarantee payments for transit to E.U. countries if Ukraine gives it control over its gas pipelines.

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