Kremlin Confirms Normandy Four Discussed Russia-Ukraine Gas Issue

The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France discussed Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine in a phone conversation.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The leaders of the Normandy Quartet – Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France – touched upon the issue of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine during a phone conversation on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone on Thursday, discussing the Ukrainian crisis and the implementation of the Minsk agreements, according to earlier statements by the Kremlin.

“Indeed, [the Normandy Quartet leaders] have agreed on the need to continue the dialogue. This dialogue can be held on either a bilateral or trilateral basis. The topic for discussion is obvious,” Peskov told journalists.

Late in June, trilateral talks on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine between Moscow, Kiev and Brussels ended in a stalemate as the sides failed to agree on a set price for the third quarter of 2015.

Russia offered a $40-per-1,000-cubic-meters discount for gas supplies for the quarter, while Kiev was looking for a discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, the same as it received under the winter package agreement.

Earlier in July, Russia’s envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said that the next trilateral meeting on gas is planned for September.