Updated on 02:22 p.m. Moscow Time
KIEV, September 3 (RIA Novosti) – Trilateral talks on Ukraine’s gas issue will be held most likely in Brussels next week between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union, Ukraine’s Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyov said Wednesday.
“Next week there will be another trilateral meeting,” Kobolyov said, adding that the place of the meetings has not yet been determined, but would most likely be in Brussels.
EU Energy Minister Gunther Oettinger on Tuesday said the date for the next gas meeting would be announced after September 8.
Last week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk claimed that Russia was planning to "cut all deliveries of energy resources to Ukraine” and “halt gas transit in winter completely, even to European Union consumers."
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow was set to fulfil its European gas delivery contracts, regardless of the political situation in transit nations, including Ukraine.
Previous trilateral talks took place in several rounds between April and mid-June, but did not yield major results. Kiev insisted on a dramatic reduction in prices for Russian gas and refused to clear its debt of $4.5 billion at the time. Russia suggested a price reduction, but Ukraine did not agree to the conditions of the offer.
Russia's Gazprom switched to prepayment system for gas deliveries to Ukraine on June 16. Moscow said it was ready to resume discussions only once Ukraine had paid off the debt, which stands as $5.3 billion, according to the most recent estimate.
