REUTERS
The foreign minister said Ukraine had warned international partners of Russia's likely actions.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin admits that the Russian Federation could try to set up a gas crisis in Ukraine if the sides fail to sign a new agreement on gas transit through the territory of Ukraine after the existing contract expires in late 2019.
Answering the question of a CurrentTime correspondent on what will happen if Moscow does not conclude with Kyiv an agreement on gas transit via the territory of Ukraine after 2019, Klimkin said: "I think that Russia will try to set up another gas crisis in Ukraine. The probability is very high. We're also seeing this in by how Russia is trying to fill storage facilities in Europe," said Klimkin.
According to him, the Ukrainian side warned EU countries of the likelihood of Russia launching a gas crisis.
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"We are also trying to fill our storages to avoid such a situation. But we warned our partners that this is very likely, and they are aware of this. We still have time to achieve results. But, I emphasize, this result cannot cancel the award handed down by the Stockholm Arbitration. This is a legal award and, of course, it should be built on a transparent, understandable European contract with Russia.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine-EU-Russia trilateral talks on gas transit issues after 2019 would resume this September.
The talks were earlier scheduled for late May.
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According to the Naftogaz CCO Yuriy Vitrenko, Gazprom has been deliberately postponing the holding of talks until the new government has been formed in Ukraine following parliamentary elections.
In May, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev said Ukraine has worked out the probable scenario of Russia halting gas transit via Ukraine from early 2020. The alternative moves are aimed to protect the country from Russia's gas blackmail.
The existing transit contract between Ukraine's Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom was concluded in 2009 for a period of 10 years. After its completion (from 2020), the Russian monopoly intends to minimize the gas transit via Ukraine.