Energy Headlines

Ukraine expresses preparedness to enter trilateral negotiations with Russia and the European Union on cooperation in the energy sector. "Ukraine basically is ready for the negotiations. The Fuel and Energy Minister [Yuriy Boiko] has received an order to prepare our vision of the agenda of such negotiations," said Prime Minister Mykola Azarov during a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko. Azarov says Ukraine, Russia, and the European Union should jointly estimate the demands [for natural gas imports] and perspectives of the European market and jointly elaborate convincing guarantees that there are no transiting issues and there will be no such risks in future.

The perspectives for such coordinated work are very important, he said. Azarov said he proposed the European Union during his recent visit to Brussels to hold trilateral negotiations on the questions of the energy sector, which was met positively. The trilateral meeting Ukraine-Russia-European Union is shcheduled to discuss realization of a number of joint energy projects.