European Commission to engage Ukraine on non‑Russian gas transit
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar stated on Monday that Bratislava is pleased with the European Commission's announcement regarding talks with Kyiv about gas transfer. He expressed hope for the resumption of discussions about transporting Azerbaijani resources through Ukraine.
"From the beginning, we have been in discussions with the Ukrainian government about the possibility of transporting gas other than Russian gas through Ukraine, so we perceive their willingness to engage in talks about such transit as a return to a solution we proposed. Within this proposal, we discussed the transmission of gas, for example, from Azerbaijan," the statement by Blanar read.
The European Commission negotiates with Ukraine on gas transfer
Kyiv decided not to extend the agreement on the transit of Russian gas, which expired at the end of the year. Hungary and Slovakia considered this a threat to their energy security, and Bratislava intervened with the European Commission.
Following Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit on January 9th, the European Commission committed to engaging in talks with Ukraine and established a special working group that includes EU and Slovak government officials.
On Monday, after the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Hungary and Slovakia received assurance that the European Commission will continue to negotiate with Ukraine about enabling gas transit through the country.
The European Commission's statement indicated that the Commission committed to requesting assurances from Ukraine regarding the maintenance of oil pipeline transmissions to the EU.
