Ukraine would not be opposed if Qatar or any other country were to negotiate an agreement on
energy security via separate talks with Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine’s Position
A top Ukrainian presidential official stated Ukraine’s position in a televised interview released on Monday.
But Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said there was no such agreement in place.
Thematic Conferences
“We held thematic conferences – the first on energy security, co-organised by Qatar,” Yermak said.
“After that, we said that if Qatar or another country is ready to implement these agreements (reached at the conference) through deals with Ukraine separately and with Russia separately, please do so.”
Yermak did not specify which agreements might be in question.
No Agreement Yet
He however said no agreement had been reached yet and that Kyiv was not negotiating directly with Moscow, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Online Conference
The Ukrainian presidential office said in late August that about 40 countries had taken part in an online conference organised by Qatar.
The theme of the conference was improving the security of the Ukrainian energy system against Russian strikes.
The online conference took place on August 22. This was after Ukrainian forces entered Russia’s Kursk region in early August.
Russia’s Missile Attacks On The Ukrainian Energy System
Since March, Russia has carried out about 10 big missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy system.
As a result, Ukraine has lost almost half of its generating capacity.
“Protecting energy infrastructure facilities, their rapid restoration and development is the only way to prevent the deepening of the crisis,” Yermak said in August.
Early Stages Of Negotiations
The Financial Times reported in October that Ukraine and Russia were in the early stages of negotiations about potentially halting airstrikes on each other’s energy facilities.
The talks were derailed by Kyiv’s forces launching an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region that borders Ukraine.
The Kremlin and a Ukrainian energy source dismissed that report.
(With inputs from Reuters)
