(RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's parliamentary speaker intends to visit Russia soon to hold talks on natural gas supplies, the Supreme Rada's press service said Friday.
A bitter gas price row between Ukraine and Russian energy giant Gazprom last winter led to shortfalls in gas supplies to the country amid freezing temperatures in January, prompting fears that a similar situation could develop again this year, reports Trend.
"Russian-Ukrainian relations in the gas sphere should be based on a scheme involving Gazprom and [Ukraine's national gas company] Naftogaz, without mediators," the press service quoted Oleksandr Moroz as saying.
Under an agreement that Russia and Ukraine signed on January 4, Ukraine imports a mixture of Russian and Turkmen natural gas at $95 per 1,000 cubic meters.
The parliamentary speaker said relations in the gas sphere should be transparent, above all for consumers.
Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said on July 16 that Russia had no intention of revising natural gas agreements and contracts with Ukraine, but was ready to continue talks with Ukraine on creating a consortium to manage Ukraine's gas transit system.