Senior EU energy official Maroš Sefčovič will attempt to jumpstart talks Friday with Russia on reopening gas deliveries to Ukraine, but the chances of a quick breakthrough appear remote.
The challenge is that Russia’s Gazprom wants to keep selling gas to Ukraine — the cash is welcomed as the Russian economy contracts — but for political reasons, Moscow wants to free itself from relying on Ukrainian pipelines to supply the European market.
The EU takes about a third of its natural gas from Russia, and half of that flows through Ukraine, which has been locked in a conflict with Russia.
That has layered …read more
Source: European Voice