European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic on September 19 began preparations for the trilateral negotiations scheduled for this day in Brussels on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine after 2019 with a meeting with Ukraine's Minister of Energy and Environment Protection Oleksiy Orzhel and thanked for the Ukrainian government's decision made the day before on unbundling Naftogaz Ukrainy.

"We welcome the substantial progress on Naftogaz Ukrainy unbundling, as an element important for successful outcome of trilateral talks," he wrote on his Twitter page after negotiations with the Ukrainian minister.

The Ukrainian mission to the EU said that at the meeting between Sefcovic and the Ukrainian delegation, the common position was confirmed: "European rules and standards must be fully observed."

"We've started a new round of trilateral gas negotiations. The mood, like the weather outside, is wonderful," Naftogaz Ukrainy CEO Andriy Kobolev commented on the first meetings in Brussels before the tripartite talks.

As reported, the EU and other international partners from the end of 2018 previously criticized Kyiv for the delay in the practical implementation of Naftogaz unbundling.