Russia is ready for talks with the EU on gas deliveries when the transit agreement with Ukraine expires at the end of the year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Novak said today.
Under a five-year contract agreed between Moscow and Kyiv in 2019, Russia exports gas to Europe via Ukraine and pays Kyiv to use its pipeline network.
The treaty applies despite the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began in February 2022.
At the beginning of the week, several media outlets reported a statement from the Ukrainian authorities that Kiev would not seek talks with Moscow on the possibility of extending the gas transmission contract.
“If the other side, the EU, wants it, we are ready for talks. Until now, no similar desire has been expressed,” Novak said.