Brussels - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has expressed hope that the documents signed at the trilateral gas talks in Brussels will help ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine and will become an important step toward implementing the Minsk agreements, which are aimed at securing a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine's southeastern regions.
With the European Commission’s comprehensive support, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on gas debt repayments and secured a provisional deal to continue gas supplies over the winter, Barroso said at a press conference in Brussels.
Barroso also that he and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had discussed this matter for two hours, while European Commissioner for Energy Guenther Oettinger had dedicated countless hours to these negotiations.
The logic of cooperation, political opportunities and economic common sense prevailed, Barroso said. Efforts are under way to ensure energy security on the European continent, and this deal will allow Europeans to stay warm this winter, he said. The parties pledged to observe the terms of the agreements in full because no one will benefit from possible disruptions of gas supplies, he added.
