Reverse gas shipments wouldn't rid Ukraine of need in Russian gas - Chizhov
BRUSSELS. May 12 (Interfax) - Reverse gas shipments to Ukraine from Europe is "a purely symbolic decision," Russia's European Union envoy Vladimir Chizhov told Russian journalists on Friday.
"Reverse gas supplies are feasible technically, but the decision is symbolic, not actual, and it does not allow Ukraine to give up importing Russian gas. There is no such opportunity," Chizhov said.
He said reverse gas shipments to Ukraine will not involve the trunk gas pipelines which channel Russian gas to Europe.
"It is impossible to pump gas both ways via one pipeline. The switch of one of the main transit pipelines to a reverse mode will inevitably limit gas shipments to the European Union markets. The government of Slovakia is well aware of this and it said from the start that it would not be involved in reverse supplies via the trunk pipeline at the cost of violating agreements with Russia," he said.
This problem is likely to be tackled through using gas pipelines of local importance - "firstly, by using one small local pipeline from Poland which can only meet an insignificant share of Ukraine's needs, and also by using the pipeline running via Vojany in Slovakia," he said.
Ukraine could be supplied with "gas from the German company RWE's surplus," he said.
"It has underground storage facilities and a surplus of purchased gas, mostly from Russia. But it also has Norwegian and Dutch gas - a mix. The emergence of a surplus is naturally connected with the general financial-economic crisis in Europe which led to cuts in consumption. This is good in the summer, but when winter comes the surplus may disappear," Chizhov said.
"The question about the cost of the reverse gas remains outside the discussion so far and it is not being commented on with much pleasure. I will only say that its price for Kyiv will be no lower than the price of Russian gas," he said.
