Azernews.Az

MOSCOW/BRUSSELS – Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the EU will meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss the modernization of Ukraine's gas transit system.

The meeting is part of the Ukraine-EU summit.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov handed proposals on modernizing his country's Soviet-era gas transit system to EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger ahead of the meeting. The details of the document were not disclosed.

Ukraine's energy ministry earlier said it planned to attract investments of $6.5 billion needed to modernize transit pipes on its territory by 2018.

Kiev has previously discussed the issue with Russian energy giant Gazprom, but the sides have not yet come to an agreement. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said the company may fund the modernization if Ukraine's gas company Naftogaz merges with Gazprom.

In September Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych suggested creating a three-party consortium with Russia and the EU to operate Ukraine's pipeline system, which pumps 141 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe annually.

In October the Ukrainian premier ruled out a merger between Gazprom and Naftogaz, but welcomed the idea of a joint venture between the two companies to develop gas deposits in the Astrakhan region in southern Russia and in the Yamal region in the Russian Arctic.

Ukraine's gas pipeline system, which stretches over 37,500 kilometers (23,306 miles), includes 71 booster stations and 13 underground gas storage units with a capacity of 32 billion cubic meters.

The high-ranking Russian delegation, which includes Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky and Gazprom's deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev, will also attend a high-level conference in Brussels to mark the 10th anniversary of the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue on Monday.

The purpose of the conference is "to discuss and develop the agenda of future EU-Russia energy cooperation," the EU said.