KIEV- Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz has pledged to press on with talks on gas transit with Russian gas giant Gazprom and the European Union, a senior Naftogaz official said on Monday.
Naftogaz's executive director Yuriy Vitrenko said on Facebook that Gazprom, which owes Ukraine around $3 billion, may repay that debt with gas supplies.
Last week Gazprom said it had sent Ukraine a letter to formally propose extending a current deal supplying gas to the country either for its own use and for transit to Europe, or the signing of a new one-year agreement.
The current gas transit contract between Gazprom and Ukraine expires at the end of the year. Ukraine is a key transit country for gas flows from Russia, a major producer, to the European market.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Jan Harvey) ((pavel.polityuk@tr.com; +380 44 2449150; Reuters Messaging: pavel.polityuk.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
