Dmitry Peskov / Photo from UNIAN
Putin's press secretary says the transit will continue even after the current agreement expires.
The Russian Federation pledges to continue natural gas transit via Ukrainian territory even after the current agreement expires.
Such a statement was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
"Russia and Ukraine have an agreement on gas transit to Europe; this agreement will remain in force for the entire period of its validity. But even after the expiration of this agreement, Russia does not intend to abandon Ukrainian transit," he said.
According to Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that in the future, Europe will need more gas, which will entail an increase in the number of supplies, and this will make Ukrainian transit in demand.
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"Putin emphasizes every time that this is an exclusively economic and commercial issue and must meet the requirements of the market. As for Ukraine, it, as the owner of the GTS [gas transmission system], must ensure the normal technical condition of the system," Peskov said.
Earlier, speaking in an interview for Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on May 29, 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that involvement of partners from Europe and the United States as co-owners of the Ukrainian gas transmission system would preserve transit supplies of Russian gas through Ukraine and security in the region.