Russia wants to keep gas transit via Ukraine to Europe, Putin says
Adds quotes, edits headline
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 5 (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russiaaims to keep pumping gas via Ukraine tothe European Union but added that Moscow could not force Kyiv to keep the transit agreement which expires at the end of this year.
"As for Ukraine, we are not abandoning this transit, oddly enough. Why? Because we, and Gazprom, intend to fulfil all our obligations to our customers with whom we have long-term contracts," Putin said.
"There is a transit contract that ends on December 31 of this year. But if Ukraine refuses this transit, well, we can't force it," Putin said.
Putin said that Gazprom''s main consumers in Europe did not seem to want the transit agreement to end even though they provided military assistance to Ukraine.
The Soviet-era Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline brings gas from western Siberia via Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region. It then flows through Ukraine in the direction of Slovakia.
In Slovakia, the gas pipeline is divided, one of the branches goes to the Czech Republic, the other to Austria. The main buyers of gas are Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.
If Ukraine refused transit of Russian gas, then Russia would use TurkStream gas pipeline under the Black Sea to supply Europe.
"Ukraine refuses our transit, which means that the volumes of gas that enter Europe will decrease," Putin said. "They will follow other routes, in particular through the TurkStream, maybe partly through the Blue Stream to Turkey too. But this is their choice, how it will affect them, I do not fully know."
Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Olesya Astakhova in Vladivostok; Additional reporting by Marina Bobrova in Moscow and Maxim Rodionov in London; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
