Normalisation of Eastern Ukraine Increasingly Likely

A de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine seems increasingly likely, with positive messages sent by national authorities and parallel conciliatory decisions taken by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

"All engineering obstacles to gas supplies from the European Union have been removed. The Eustream company is collecting bids for gas supplies to Ukraine. Supplies through Slovakia are likely to start in September, but not later than in October," Naftogaz’s CEO Andriy Kobolyev said on Monday. 

According to him, Kiev has been accumulating from 20 to 34 million cubic meters of gas in underground storage facilities daily, supporting Naftogaz’s negotiations with European companies.  

The country keeps holding meeting with European partners.  

‘Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted that the Government of Ukraine appreciates the approved yesterday by the European Union Council conclusions on Ukraine and emphasized the importance of the personal contribution of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany in this process,’ reads a note of the Ukrainian government about the meeting of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk with Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier. 

In the while, gas flow from Ukraine continues being in normal mode.  

‘According to the state at 09:00 (CET), 24. June 2014 related to transmission from East to the European Union, Eustream didn´t record pressure reduction or gas volumes decrease at the Compressor Station Veľké Kapušany on the border with Ukraine,’ reads a note released by Eustream on Tuesday. 

The cherry on top came on Tuesday afternoon, when Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a proposal to ‘the Federation Council to repeal its Resolution on the use of the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine.’ 

According to Putin’s website, the proposal is meant to help normalising the situation in Eastern Ukraine, ’in connection with the tripartite negotiations on the issue that have begun recently.’