Russian Ambassador: Ukraine-Russia Gas Talks Will Not Begin Again Before Elections

Gas talks between Russia and Ukraine will not begin again before the Ukrainian parliamentary elections, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov said yesterday.

Following the elections, the ambassador said, Russia might be open to offering Ukraine the same terms that it had offered to other countries in the Customs Union (of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia), Ukrainian news outlet ForUm reported yesterday.

"The terms, in general, are known," he said. "Today we conduct negotiations with a number of countries that are interested in cooperation with the Customs Union under the same terms."

It was uncertain, the ambassador said, whether the opportunity to participate in the Custom Union would be applicable to Ukraine following the parliamentary elections.

"Time will show whether these conditions will be relevant in November. Before the elections, this issue is irrelevant."

Ukraine and Russia have been involved in tense negotiations over the price of Russian gas supply to Ukraine for several years. Last month, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the issues surrounding the cost of gas to Ukraine. The talks failed to yield any definite results; however President Putin said following the meeting that the issue would be "accelerated".

"We have agreed to add momentum to...[the talks between] Gazprom and Naftogaz so that all options for improving their relationships are considered," the Russian president said last month.