The Slovak Spectator: Russia pledges to fulfil gas contracts

As Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis journeyed to Moscow for gas talks on October 22, power brokers in Brussels were paving the way for a deal between Russia and Ukraine over renewing supply and paying off outstanding debts – a development that would go a long way in calming fears across Europe as the weather chills.

Russo-Ukrainian talks in Brussels seek to restart gas supplies to Ukraine that were cut off earlier this year, with Gazprom citing unpaid bills. They ended without agreement on October 21, but the parties will reconvene in a week, and a pact looks imminent, said Cillian O’Donghue, a Brussels-based energy analyst with FleishmanHillard. While Ukraine has continued to transit Russian gas to the rest of Europe, it lacks gas for its own consumption, producing knock-on effects for others and general instability on what is a key energy supply route.

Meanwhile, Pavlis held talks with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow on October 22 in an attempt to guarantee that Slovakia would not see its own supplies cut in the coming months.
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