Gazprom not to offend Europe
Gazprom is more than categorical in its intention to stop the transit of Russian gas through the Ukraine after 2019, when the current transit contracts with the country expire. Once again, it was categorically and repeatedly stressed by deputy head of the company, curator of its export unit Alexander Medvedev at the meeting with Russian and foreign journalists.
The explanation is simple: the Ukraine as a partner is not satisfied in all respects, from the economic to the political ones. In the first place - for its unreliability as a transit country, a payer and a debtor, in which, Alexander Ivanovich remembered, in one of the previous autumn-winter peak seasons about 8 billion cubic meters of unpaid Russian gas "disappeared" without a trace (this volume still can’t be found).
And what will replace the Ukrainian route with its multi-billion dollar annual pumping of gas from Russia to Europe? Indeed, Turkish Stream. Medvedev assured doubters that the project was viable and ready for implementation: the documents between Gazprom and the Turkish company and partner Botas just waited for the final signature, which is expected to take place this June.