"The trilateral format remains the most suitable for discussing gas supplies for the upcoming winter heating season. In this sense, I am also looking forward to meet with Russian authorities in the next weeks," Maros Sefcovic said, as quoted in the statement.
The October 2015-March 2016 trilateral winter package protocol stipulated that Ukraine’s energy major Naftogaz could purchase two billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia’s Gazprom for $500 million to cover the heating period.
Ukraine stopped buying gas from Russia on November 25, 2015, over a gas price dispute, turning to European suppliers of transit gas.
In June, the Russian energy giant Gazprom said that it had received a request from Ukraine's Naftogaz to resume gas supplies for a period from the second half of 2016 until April 2017. Naftogaz proposed that the sides sign an annex to their contract to cover the next three quarters, insisting on a price "hub minus transportation." Gazprom insists that there is no need for such an annex to resume supply. Naftogaz in turn refuses to purchase gas from Russia without the proposed annex to the contract.
