Ukraine gets Slovakia's reverse gas shipments guarantees - Poroshenko

Photo: Facebook of Andrej Kiska

Slovakia has guaranteed that it will continue reverse shipments of gas to Ukraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a joint press conference with Slovak President Andrej Kiska in Bratislava.

"We have received firm guarantees that the Slovak partners will rigorously comply with the agreement on reverse shipments of European gas to Ukraine. We thank Slovakia for guaranteeing reverse gas shipments at this dramatic moment," Poroshenko said, adding that the agreement had been reached in talks earlier on Sunday.

The agreement provides for expanding cooperation and forming a hub involving Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, which will turn gas, currently an instrument of political pressure, into a market mechanism, the Ukrainian president's press service said.

Poroshenko also announced that the parties had agreed to set up a working group that would fine-tune the system of gas pipelines in order to ensure reliable reverse shipments.

European security was the main issue on the agenda of the talks, Poroshenko said. He thanked Kiska for support.

"What matters is that we feel the European Union's unity and solidarity with Ukraine," he said.

The Slovak president in turn said that Slovakia would continue supporting Ukraine, as well as its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"It's not a diplomatic phrase. It is an approach of fundamental importance. Not only for Ukraine. Our help is in Europe's unity. Russia must hear our common voice. I want Ukraine to always see us as a friend, who will lend a helpful hand to it," Kiska said.

Poroshenko's spokesman Sviatoslav Tseholko wrote on Facebook's after the talks in Bratislava that, Slovakia had guaranteed it would abide by the agreement on reverse gas shipments despite a reduction in gas deliveries from Russia.

"Ukraine wants to form a gas hub to exclude the practice of using gas as an instrument of political pressure," he wrote.

Poroshenko also met with the Polish and German presidents, Tseholko said.