Two long-term natural gas contracts between Russia and Ukraine are set to expire in December. And as this deadline approaches, the two sides are preparing for necessary renegotiations.
Kyiv needs to avoid a repetition of January 2009 when, due to the absence of contracts, Russia stopped pumping supplies into Ukrainian pipelines and parts of Europe were left without gas. Having run out of time and under pressure not only from Moscow, but also the European Union, Kyiv then had to accept the Russian conditions and sign long-term gas purchase and transit contracts detrimental to its economy.