Putin says Russia ready to extend Ukraine gas deal

President of Russia Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was ready to extend Moscow’s current gas contract with Ukraine if talks fail before the current one with Moscow expires on January 1, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has reported.

Speaking at the sidelines of an energy forum in Moscow on October 2, Putin said he was prepared to sign a transit agreement under European law if Kyiv succeeds in implementing the European energy package by the end of the year.

Putin noted that it was "quite likely" that Ukraine won't fulfill its EU obligations by the end of the year, which will also require Kyiv to pass additional legislation, he suggested.

Ukraine stopped importing gas directly from Russia in 2015 after Moscow sent troops into Crimea the previous year. Instead, Kyiv gets Russian gas indirectly through reverse flows from neighboring EU countries, namely Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary.