The story of the associated membership of Ukraine in the EU with the approach of the fatal summit in Vilnius is getting overgrown with new details. According to TheWallStreetJournal referring to the aware of the details European officials, Brussels is ready to conclude agreements with Kiev, allowing to start deliveries of natural gas to Ukraine from Europe. According to the authors of the article, this may facilitate the economic convergence of the country with the EU.

Presumably, the export will be organised from the territory of Slovakia by the gas transporting company Eustream, which will lead to redirection of rather large volumes of gas to the Ukraine - as you might guess, the Russian gas. However, because of the difference in price on gas between the supplied gas by "Gazprom" to Europe and to Ukraine, the final price for the re-export of gas to Kiev remains lower than that of Gazprom.

According to TheWallStreetJournal, a Memorandum of Understanding providing the start of gas deliveries by Eustream to "Ukrtransgaz" is ready for signing, and the Slovak operator will start accepting applications from Ukrainian consumers from the beginning of December to February. Actual supplies thus may not start until September next year. Until that time, Ukraine might theoretically use gas from underground storage facilities on its territory.

In one way or the other, the final decision on admitting Ukraine to the associated membership in the EU is still pending and the fight around it continues. It is quite possible that this information is a response to the recent rumours that Viktor Yanukovych allegedly decided to waive the association with the EU in exchange for the reduction of the price for Russian gas supplied to Ukraine.

Material has been prepared by the Centre of Geopolitical Studies with reference to the article from “Утро.ru” of 20 11 2013

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