BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) and Ukraine held gas talks on Thursday in Vienna, said a press release by the European Commission.

"The meeting was conducted in a constructive atmosphere and focused on the necessary actions to ensure stable gas supplies to Ukraine and via Ukraine to the EU during winter," said the press release.

The meeting was organized at the initiative of the European Commission and served as an intermediate step in view of preparing for the next round of trilateral gas negotiations between the European Commission, Russia and Ukraine, it said.

European Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic chaired talks, while Ukraine was represented by the Energy and Coal Industries Minister Vladimir Demchyshyn as well as the CEO from Naftogaz, Andriy Kobolyev.

This meeting will be followed by a bilateral meeting with the Russian Energy Minister on Sept 11 in Vienna, it said.

According to the press release, the European Commission acts as a mediator in the latest round of trilateral talks that started in March 2015. The Commission aims at facilitating a new protocol on gas deliveries from Russia to Ukraine for the next heating season until the end of March 2016.