The Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Thursday that it will resume gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine as soon as EU observers arrive to monitor the flow of gas through that country.
Gazprom’s CEO Alexey Miller stated, after talks with European officials in Brussels, that he would discuss the resumption of gas supplies to Europe in a private meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz on his return flight to Moscow. "This issue must be resolved today," Miller told reporters.
Naftogaz’s Deputy Director Igor Didenko sounded optimistic after the meeting in Brussels, saying: "We expect everything to go in a positive direction." Naftogaz previously announced that it guarantees the transit of Russian gas through its pipelines if Russia resumes supplies.
"We must ensure gas for Europe. No one should blackmail us," said Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Alexandr Vondra earlier on Thursday, whose country holds the presidency of the European Union. The EU hopes that its observers, who will monitor the flow of Russian gas through Ukraine, will allow the supply issue to be separated from the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv over gas prices, transit fees, and Ukraine’s debt to Moscow. The Director for Energy of the European Commission stated on Thursday that the observers will be ready in two days. (H)
