European commissioner Oettinger to meet with Russian energy minister on May 19
BRUSSELS. May 16 (Interfax) - European Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oettinger is expected to meet with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Berlin on May 19, the commissioner's spokesperson told Interfax in Brussels on Friday.
Commissioner Oettinger is ready to hold a trilateral (EU-Russia-Ukraine) meeting anytime, he said.
At the moment, the sides are laying the groundwork for the second trilateral meeting, which may be followed by the third one before the end of May, should such a need arise, the spokesperson said.
Oettinger said in Athens on Thursday that he saw progress in tackling the gas price problem between Kyiv and Moscow, and hoped that one or even two rounds of these trilateral negotiations would be held before the end of May, the spokesperson added.
Oettinger's press service made these remarks after being asked by Interfax to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 15 letter to the leaders of European countries, in which the Russian president said that Russia would demand payment in advance from Ukraine for gas supplies starting from June 1.
