Russia and Ukraine are not going to reach an agreement to revise the gas contracts during a meeting between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 12, Head of the Penta Center of Applied Political Studies Volodymyr Fesenko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
“I don’t rule out that the Ukrainian side could propose some sort of new compromise alternative at this meeting. But so far there are no grounds to expect that a gas agreement will be signed,” he said.
“As a rule, before a gas agreement is signed, there is a very intensive negotiating process between our countries at the level of prime ministers, energy ministers, and the leadership of Naftogaz Ukrainy and Gazprom. As of now, there has been nothing,” Fesenko said.
Gas agreements are usually signed “either at the end of the year, which is normal, or in January, after ‘gas wars’. That is the worst option,” he said, adding that neither Ukraine nor Russia is interested in gas wars.
“Right now the sides are waiting due to the fact that the situation with oil prices is not very stable, and the overall global situation is also not the best,” Fesenko said.
At the same time, there are risks for Ukraine, since it is not clear what will happen tomorrow, nor is it clear to which side such an expectation can play.
There are likely to be certain comprehensive packets of proposals with regards to revising the gas contracts. “It won’t just be agreements on gas,” he said.
Ukraine wants to maintain a gas transport consortium, and for that it needs to engage in more active negotiations with Germany, Fesenko said.
“I consider the anti-German rhetoric currently being used to be counterproductive. Germany has very many serious politicians and businessman, who understand that the Ukrainian gas transport system is interesting. We need to actively play in the economic sphere in Europe, including with the Germans. This could be our trump card in negotiations and in reaching a comprehensive compromise in the gas sphere,” he said.
