European Commission offers to mediate negotiations between Naftogaz and Gazprom
European Commission (EC) Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič noted that the European Commission is ready to mediate to help settle the gas dispute between Ukraine and Russia. This was mentioned in a statement released on the EC website.
It was specifically noted that Šefčovič had contacted Ukrainian and Russian authorities for telephone-based discussions. Šefčovič spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev, and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak. "The conversations focused on Ukraine's concern regarding pressure levels in gas supply from Russia, on gas for transit to the European Union as well as on the recent decision of the Stockholm Arbitration Tribunal," the statement said.
In the statement, Šefčovič Also expresses Brussels' readiness for mediation between Kyiv and Moscow in the gas dispute by saying that "The European Commission stands ready to engage and mediate in a trilateral process, which in the past proved to be effective in bridging differences between the parties.”
“Due to the complexity and sensitivity of the issue, we will further explore the possibility of such process bilaterally," the statement said. According to the EU Vice President, Ukraine and Russia have confirmed their readiness to remain in close contact with the European Commission. “I will follow the situation closely in order to ensure that the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to the EU - as it remains our priority - is safeguarded at all times," Šefčovič promised.