Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Prodan says that Oct. 21 proposed by the European Commission as a date for the next round of gas talks with Russia is acceptable.
“[October] 21 is acceptable to us,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Prodan said that he expects that European Commission Vice-President, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger would manage to come to Kyiv by the said date.
Earlier on Thursday, Oct. 9, Oettinger suggested Oct. 21 as a date for the next round of the Ukrainian-Russian gas talks in Berlin.
The pervious round of the gas talks in the Russia-Ukraine-EC format took place in Berlin on Sept. 26. The sides agreed that Ukraine would pay Gazprom $3.1 billion in debts for gas by the end of the year, and would buy at least 5 billion cubic meters of gas at an interim price of $385 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. Yet the sides failed to agree a debt repayment schedule.
