Bulgaria's return to Russian gas supply talks is 'inevitable' amid steep shortages, energy chief says

• A return to Russian gas supply talks is "inevitable," Bulgaria's energy chief said on Monday.
• "Given the demands of business and the trade unions, in reality, talks with Gazprom to renew supplies are inevitable," he said.

Bulgaria's energy minister Rossen Hristov said the country would likely go back to talks with Russia on resuming gas deliveries from state-run energy supplier Gazprom.

Gazprom provided 90% of Bulgaria's natural gas until April, when it cut supplies after Bulgaria refused to pay in rubles.

"Given the demands of business and the trade unions, in reality, talks with Gazprom to renew supplies are inevitable," Energy Minister Rossen Hristov said at a press event, according to Reuters.

He didn't specify when the country would return to discussions with Russia on resuming gas supplies, but implied it would be soon.

"We would obviously would have to turn to them now. The talks will be very hard and very difficult," Hristov said. The nation's contract with Gazprom is also set to expire by year-end.

For now, Bulgaria gets about a third of its gas needs from Azerbaijan, with the rest obtained on the open market.

Meanwhile, Gazprom announced last week that Europe's main gas pipeline will undergo a three-day shutdown later this month, sparking concerns that Russia will continue to choke off Europe from supplies in retaliation for EU sanctions. Gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 have already been slashed to 20% of capacity.