Winter package agreement on gas between Russia, the European Commission and Ukraine is of a declarative nature of the Protocol, but is based on legally binding documents, for this reason, there is no need to increase its legal status to that of an intergovernmental contract, as it wished to Kiev, said the head of Ministry of energy of Russia Alexander Novak.

Authorized Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission on the results of the trilateral meeting on gas in Brussels, held at the end of September, were only able to initial the Protocol on gas supplies to Ukraine and transit this winter, but not to sign the document completely. The validity period is from 1 October 2015 to 31 March 2016. Later, Novak said that the Russian Federation and the EC signed the document, it is now up to Ukraine.

on the first day weekend on the air TV channel, Novak said that during negotiations Ukraine for the first time expressed the desire to give the document the status of the intergovernmental agreement." We made an offer, the European Commission made a proposal to limit the same Protocol was first signed, and in General is the Protocol of the meeting, and not a legally binding document the status of the intergovernmental agreement. For this reason We have signed the Protocol, I repeat that the Ukrainian side considers themselves the legal side the possibility of signing time in this format ", - said the head of the Ministry of energy of the Russian Federation.

He clarified that this document does not interfere with current work." In General, this document is more declarative in nature, a Protocol of consultations and conclusions, as It is based completely on legally binding documents. In the 1-St of all, it is two contracts are valid from 2009 to 2019. No new legally binding documents to sign no need among countries, including the EC, this will be a consultancy Protocol, " continued Novak.

"We expect our Ukrainian partners to the signing of this Protocol," concluded the Russian head of the Ministry.

According to the document, Naftogaz in October, will buy from Gazprom 2 billion cubic meters of gas. Delivery financing will be secured through a credit of five hundred million dollars raised by Kiev with the help of the EC. Russia offers Ukraine a discount to the contract price to gas price levels in neighboring EU countries.

sections: Politics