Ukraine, US Officials Discuss Gas Co-Operation

The head of Naftogaz Ukrainy Andrei Kobolev met the US secretary of state for energy Rick Perry and Ukraine’s newly elected president Vladimir Zelensky for talks on energy and national securirty in Kiev May 20. 

Also among those present were Zelensky’s advisers during his election campaign and the foreign affairs minister Elena Zerkal; Nato’s head of mission in Ukraine; and the US special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker.

The Ukrainian side, which has funded lobby groups in Washington in order to draw politicians' attention to the threat that NordStream 2 poses to Ukraine, thanked the US side for its support in matters of energy and national security, said Naftogaz May 21.

The two sides discussed co-operation in energy, and gas production and the maintenance of the gas transit system.

Talks also focused on Ukraine’s readiness for the coming heating season – data shows that Ukraine has more in store than this time last year – and the financing and purchasing of gas for storage. They also discussed imports of LNG into Ukraine from the Polish terminal.

The previous week, US senators from both parties proposed a bill to impose sanctions on the vessels laying NordStream 2.