News

On 1 January, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas discussed current situation of gas provision to Ukraine with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech EU Presidency Karel Schwarzenberg and Member of the European Commission Andris Piebalgs.

During several telephone conversations that were made at the initiative of Minister V.Ušackas, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs V.Ohryzko requested Lithuania to mediate, so that the EU becomes involved into the negotiations on gas provision between Ukraine and the Russian gas concern Gazprom.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic K.Schwarzenberg promised to help Ukraine, if it behaved transparently and supplied the EU with all agreements on gas supplies that had been signed between Ukraine and Russia.

EU Commissioner A.Piebalgs indicated that the European Commission was ready to actively participate in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia concerning the guarantees for gas provision, but such a participation was possible under the condition that the EU expresses political support for it.

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs V.Ohryzko informed Minister V.Ušackas that Ukraine was sending a delegation of high-level experts to Prague already that day and on 2 January, this delegation was prepared to head also to Brussels to provide the EU with all detailed information on the problems of gas provision to Ukraine.  

Ukrainian Minister V.Ohryzko thanked Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs for this immediate mediation.

The EU energy security and gas provision were among the most important issues that were discussed with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs V.Ohryzko and Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Hryhoriy Nemyria during the first official visit of Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V.Ušackas to Ukraine on 26-27 December 2008.