Russia, Ukraine clinch deal on natural gas delivery: EU
Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement over a natural gas delivery deal until the end of March, following a row over supplies to eastern Ukraine, the European Union (EU) says.
The agreement, which secures gas supplies to Europe, was reached during EU-brokered talks between the two countries in the Belgian capital, Brussels, on Monday.
"I am satisfied that we managed to safeguard the full application of the Winter Package for the supply needs in Ukraine," said European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic in a statement.
The deal was reached after five-hour-long talks between Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn and Sefcovic.
"We also agreed to take up trilateral negotiations on the follow-up to the Winter Package. I am reassured that the supply of gas to the EU markets remains secure," AFP quoted Sefcovic as saying.
Last week, Russia’s state-owned gas company ,Gazprom, threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and divert supplies to the country’s eastern regions which are controlled by pro-Russia forces.
The row threatened to interrupt gas supplies to the EU, which procures around a third of its gas from Russia, half of which is delivered through pipelines running through Ukraine.
Both sides agreed to leave the gas supply to the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk out of the talks for now, said the EU statement, adding the subject was "highly complex in legal, technical and political terms."
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini lauded the deal, which was reached despite relations between EU and Russia being at their lowest for years over to the crisis in Ukraine.
"The outcome of today's meeting on energy issues can help bridge differences over the supply of gas between Ukraine and Russia," she said.
The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine have been hit by deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April last year to crush pro-Russia forces there.
SRK/NN/AS
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