Mr Medvedev and Mr Brown discussed in particular issues regarding the next G-20 meeting scheduled to take place in London at the beginning of April. They agreed to work in close cooperation during the preparations for the meeting, put together joint initiatives in the working groups, exchange materials and continue regular coordination.
Mr Medvedev made clear during the conversation that the Ukrainian authorities are continuing to unlawfully block access of Russian transit gas into the Ukrainian gas transport system. The President said that the Ukrainian authorities have unlawfully siphoned off gas from the export pipelines and have made no attempt to conceal the fact that they are taking this gas to meet the needs of their own enterprises and consumers at the Europeans’ expense. It is Ukraine’s obligation to immediately restart the transit of Russian gas to Europe. Russia, for its part, has long since restarted the flow of gas, but it is blocked by Ukraine shutting off access to its gas transport system.
Mr Medvedev also gave the British Prime Minister a detailed explanation of the proposals he made earlier to the Ukrainian President on using a definite volume of gas belonging to an international European consortium of companies as technological gas to ensure the resumption of Russian gas transit.
Mr Medvedev and Mr Brown discussed preparations for the Moscow International Conference on Ensuring Russian Gas Supplies to European Consumers. Mr Medvedev said that the conference’s objective is to find an urgent solution to the current dispute, prevent a repeat of such problems in the future and take steps towards putting in place a system to provide protection from unlawful attempts to block the transit of energy resources. Mr Brown said he hoped that Russian gas transit via Ukraine would resume in the nearest future.
Mr Medvedev and Mr Brown agreed to stay in regular contact.
The conversation took place on Britain’s initiative.