DISINFO: Ukraine is not willing to sign a new contract for gas transit

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative blaming Ukraine for the disruption of the gas talks between Russia and Ukraine and plans to cut gas transit from Russia to the EU. On 19 September 2019, the trilateral gas talks were held in Brussels. Ukraine and the EU proposed to sign a new transit contract for a duration of 10 years which will allow Ukraine to transport 60 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia to the EU. Russia, on the other hand, wants to extend the current contract for 1 year. Ukraine’s Naftogaz handed over a draft interconnection agreement and a draft standard transmission agreement to Gazprom. Naftogaz also presented this to the EU, the future Russian-Ukrainian independent transmission system operator (TSO) and national company GTSOU, as well as providing them with a road map for the completion of the unbundling of the TSO. Following the trilateral talks, Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič described the negotiations as constructive. He pointed out the progress made, especially the willingness of both sides to have a contract that will be based on EU law. He also mentioned to the Russian side that Ukraine is fulfilling its obligations in terms of adopting necessary legislation and unbundling of Naftogaz in order to be able to work under EU rules as of 1 January 2020. In August, Oleksandr Danylyuk, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Secretary, acknowledged that the extension of the transit is important for Ukraine and Kyiv is ready to sign a new contract. “There are other factors to be taken into account, including the way the Ukrainian GTS [gas transportation system] works. This is important. Continuation of Russian gas transit would have been irrelevant if not for that. We understand that this is another leverage,” he said. See previous debunks on the topic here and here.