EU sees no legal problems with reverse gas supplies from Slovakia to Ukraine

Ukraine can now buy gas from Hungary and Poland, and from autumn Ukraine's Naftogaz will be able to receive gas from Slovakia, EC Spokesperson Sabine Berger has said at a briefing in Brussels.

"An agreement signed by two interested companies in Ukraine and Slovakia, I mean the agreement on reverse supplies, allows gas to be delivered from Slovakia to Ukraine, and there are no legal problems with that," she explained.

She noted that such supplies would be based on commercial agreements, therefore the issues of the gas price and the volume of supplies are solved by the relevant enterprises.

Asked whether it is possible to replace Russian gas for Ukraine with reverse supplies, the expert refused to confirm the assumption that European companies will be able to provide up to 30 billion cubic meters of the Ukrainian demand for gas.

"I just said that there are opportunities for gas purchases [in Europe]. European companies have foreseen some solutions, they are working on others, but the issue of the final volume and prices is the matter of commercial negotiations between the interested enterprises," Berger said.

She said the role of the European Commission was to help Ukraine and Slovakia achieve an agreement, but it was signed between the two parties.