More gas talks to be held in Berlin, our news desk reports:
Representatives from the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine are due to meet in Berlin on September 26 to discuss the possibility of renewing Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.
Outgoing EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan will meet and were expected to speak at a news conference after the talks.
Ahead of the meeting, Oettinger said he hoped a deal could be reached that would run through April 2015, ensuring uninterrupted gas supplies of Russian through this winter.
Europe is concerned about gas shortages that could be caused by Russian suspension of gas supplies through Ukraine.
Kyiv is worried it will not be able to obtain the at least 5 billion cubic meters of gas it needs, and possibly several times that amount if winter is especially cold. (Reuters and ITAR-TASS)