Negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian delegation continue uninterrupted in video format, special working subgroups have been established, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak said.
“Negotiations with the Russian delegation are now ongoing in a continuous video format. Special working subgroups have been created. Ukraine’s positions are determined by the previous directives,” Podoliak said on Twitter, attaching a joint photo with Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak.
At the moment, it is not known when new negotiations with the Russian Federation will take place, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
“We are ready for negotiations, we are ready for diplomacy, but we are by no means ready to accept any Russian ultimatums. It is unknown at the moment when the new negotiations will take place,” Kuleba said on his Facebook on Wednesday.
He added that the demands of the Russians remain unchanged. “These are the demands that Putin voiced in his address before the start of the war, in fact declaring war on us,” Kuleba said.
Ukraine and Egypt may decide to start negotiations on a free trade area (FTA) this fall, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.
“We are negotiating with Egypt, but soon the conversation fades. We hope that this fall we will hold an intergovernmental commission, and I hope we will take a decision to start negotiations,” Kachka said during the Kyiv International Economic Forum in Kyiv on Friday.
He also indicated that Ukraine and Indonesia have begun studying potential FTA talks.
Ukraine does not plan to negotiate with Russia to conclude a direct agreement for the supply of natural gas, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said.
“Such negotiations are not planned,” he said in an interview to the lb.ua portal released on Tuesday.
The prime minister said that over 18.5 billion cubic meters of gas have already been accumulated in the underground storage facilities (UGS) of Ukraine [already 18.7 billion cubic meters], the country also has its own gas production, which will allow the coming heating season to pass.
According to him, one should not expect a significant re-export to the European market of gas owned by foreign traders, which is stored in the Ukrainian underground storage facilities.
“In any case, the first proposal is always made to Ukraine. With a probability of 100%, gas that is in Ukraine will be used here,” Shmyhal said.
The Ukrainian authorities will seek to maintain gas transit through the Ukrainian GTS in the future. “Surely, we will insist on maintaining the current level of transit for at least 15 years,” the head of government said.
According to JSC Ukrtransgaz, as of October 1, 2021, foreign service customers store 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas in the customs warehouse mode, while resident companies some 800 million cubic meters.
Ukraine and Turkey are at the final stage of negotiations on a free trade area (FTA) after large moves made in the negotiation process, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy Oleksiy Liubchenko said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“By the way, negotiations on an agreement on FTA with Turkey are now almost on completing. There have been significant positive moves in the negotiations,” he said.
Liubchenko also said that Ukraine had carried out preparatory work for negotiations with Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan.
Speaking about other areas of work of the Ministry of Economy in terms of international trade, he noted the unblocking of the work of the interdepartmental commission with Kazakhstan, following the meeting of which the ministry receives feedback from the parties.
“We are also systematically working with China, coordinated by Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna. We have begun a joint study of the possibility of a free trade area agreement. The results will be known next year. On this basis, a political decision will be made whether to start negotiations. We are also actively working on preparations for negotiations with Indonesia and Vietnam,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes that his talks in Kyiv with Ukrainian officials during his visit to Ukraine were productive.
“Productive time spent in Kyiv with President Zelensky and all those with whom I met,” he said on Twitter.
The Secretary of State noted that “the United States is resolute in the face of Russian aggression and in our support for the reform work needed to ensure a sovereign, democratic, and prosperous future for Ukraine.”
During a two-day visit to Kyiv, Blinken met and held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
