EU, Russia, Ukraine to Discuss Gas Supplies to Europe

Russia and Ukraine are holding EU-brokered gas consultations in Berlin on Friday.

The meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers Alexander Novak and Yuri Prodan and EU's outgoing energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger comes more than three months after Moscow cut off gas supplies to Kiev.

Consultations will focus on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine and energy security issues, a spokesman for EU's Berlin office told ITAR-TASS. The main goal of the meeting is to provide uninterrupted gas supplies to Ukraine and to the European Union this winter.

Oettinger has earlier said that Russian gas sector should not face EU sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine. According to him, the EU expected to reach a compromise with Russia and sought to get Russian gas supplies in full amount and on a market price, Itar-Tass reports.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also expressed hope that the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine will be resolved as quickly as possible.

Much of the Russian gas supplied to EU countries goes via pipelines that pass through Ukraine.