Russian Energy Ministry Not Confirming Gas Talks with Kiev, EU on Sept. 11

The reperesentative of the Russian Energy Ministry did not confirm the trilateral talks with Kiev and the European Commission on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine on September 11.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Energy Ministry does not confirm participation of its representatives in the trilateral talks with Kiev and the European Commission on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine on September 11, a ministry's spokeswoman said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said that the trilateral meeting will take place on September 11 in Brussels or Vienna.

"We cannot confirm it," the spokeswoman told RIA Novosti.

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, equal to what it received under the winter package agreement that was extended into the second quarter of 2015.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that it is no longer possible to provide the $100-dollar discount to Ukraine due to falling global oil prices.

On Friday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said that a new trilateral deal, similar to the so-called winter package of 2014-2015, is the only viable option for future Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine.