On Saturday, news agencies quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying that Moscow is ready to hold talks with the European Union regarding natural gas supplies before the end of an agreement with Ukraine to transport gas in late 2024.
Under a five-year agreement concluded by Moscow with Kiev in 2019, Russia exports gas to Europe via Ukraine in exchange for fees for using a pipeline network.
The RIA news agency quoted Novak as saying: “If the other party, which is the European Union, wishes, we are ready for discussions. So far, we do not see any desire for this.”
For its part, the Russian “Interfax” news agency, quoting Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov, reported that gas transportation via Russia’s pipeline to Europe via Ukraine may continue after the expiration of the current agreement.
The minister added that Russia believes that European countries that still obtain gas through Ukraine may be interested in future supplies.
Shulginov explained that it is possible to explore other ways to ship gas through Ukraine after 2024.
Ukraine remains an important route for Gazprom’s gas flows to the European Union, despite the Russia-Ukraine war.
On Friday, a European Union official refrained from speculating about the chances of extending the gas transportation agreement through Ukraine after 2024, but said that the bloc is evaluating all possibilities and preparing for them.
