The agreement is a “crucial step” to guarantee that Kiev – as well as other European destinations – receives gas supplies from October through March, Sefcovic said.
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However, the trilateral gas agreement was only “initialled”.
Commenting on the agreement on Saturday, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said that there was no guarantee Ukraine would be able to pay for further supplies in November and December. “The rail line is planned to open by the end of 2017 but we will try to reduce the [construction] period”, he said.
Past gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine have led to interruptions in supply and caused major disruptions in shipments of Russian gas to European Union countries.
Officials had high hopes of signing a deal to secure supplies over the coming peak demand winter months, but after arriving at the talks in Brussels, Ukraine’s Naftogaz starting laying out conditions.
Over the summer, Sefcovic was much harsher on the two sides, venting his frustration with a lack of progress.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, for his part, stressed that Moscow “will spare no effort” to prevent any kind of problem.
The United States and Ukraine must stand together going forward “to overcome all the challenges we’re facing right now”, the minister said.
More than 8,000 people have been killed by fighting between separatist rebels and Ukrainian government troops.
It also banned Russian planes bearing soldiers or military cargo from flying through Ukraine’s airspace, and blocked government agencies from using software produced by the Russian antivirus maker Kaspersky Labs.
“Airlines with the Russian tricolor have no reason to be in Ukrainian airports”, the prime minister told the Ukrainian government cabinet.
“Our assessment is that Ukraine will need anywhere from 5 to 7 billion cubic meters [bcm] of gas from October 1 to March 31,” Miller said.
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“After the [initialed protocol] document is signed, Ukraine will start buying our gas”.
