Putin demanded that government fix time for involving German partners in gas consortium's work

The President of Russia set the government the task of doing everything necessary for the concrete time, when the German partners will be able to join the work of the Russian-Ukrainian-German gas consortium, be fixed by the Russian-German intergovernmental consultations, slated to be held in Yekaterinburg in October.

Vice-Premier Viktor Khristenko, reporting at the conference with the members of the Cabinet of Ministers under the head of state on the work to establish the gas consortium, noted that the work on the legal aspect of the issue has been completed - the consortium has been registered and has already recruited the necessary personnel. Three business models of functioning of the consortium have also been prepared and approved of.

The Vice-Premier also said that specialists are already working on the investment programme of the development of Ukraine's gas-transportation system. A package of documents on this question will be prepared in June, he said.

According to Khristenko, consultations with the Ukrainian side will be held next week, and the Supervisory Council will assemble for its meeting in June.

Khristenko said that now it is too early to speak of the time of involvement of the German partners in the consortium's work. According to him, this will become clear in June, when a more clear and coherent model of the development of the consortium is defined.