KIEV, March 11. /TASS/. Ukraine won’t be able to resolve its energy problems without Russia, and Kiev’s statement on "a reverse gas-flow revolution" is bluff, leader of the Ukrainian Choice public movement Viktor Medvedchuk said on Wednesday.
"The European reverse gas flows are at the peak of their capacity. European Commission Vice-President for Energy Maros Sefcovic has said it deems impossible to build up gas flows to Ukraine [from Europe] today. This means that all of Kiev’s statements on a ‘reverse gas flow revolution’ have turned out to be a bluff," Medvedchuk wrote on his Facebook page.
Kiev won’t be able to resolve the problem of the country’s provision with energy without "full-fledged cooperation with Moscow in the energy sphere," he said.
Ukraine imported 4.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas over the past two months, which includes 2.3 billion cubic meters from Europe, according to data provided in March by Ukrtransgaz gas pipeline operator, a subsidiary of the Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz.
In the same period last year, Ukraine also imported 4.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas but the entire volume came from Russia.
- Ukraine receives 67% of gas from EU and 33% from Russia — PM
- Russian gas transit via Ukraine to Europe in January-February down 38.8% year-on-year
- Kiev's prepayment to cover gas deliveries through to March, 15 — Gazprom
- Hungary gives up reverse supplies of Russian gas to Ukraine — media
- Ukraine plans further decrease of Russian gas share in energy balance
In February, Ukraine imported 2.1 billion cubic meters of gas. Reverse-flow gas supplies from EU countries totaled 1.2 billion cubic meters, including 1.1 billion cubic meters from Slovakia, 100 million cubic meters from Hungary and 60 million cubic meters from Poland. Russia supplied 900 million cubic meters of natural gas over that month.
Ukraine reduced gas imports from Hungary 4.8 times in March to 715,000 cubic meters per day, Hungary’s gas transportation operator FGSZ Ltd. reported.
Reverse gas supplies to Ukraine from Poland have fallen to 717,000 cubic meters per day since March 1 from 840,000 cubic meters in February. Gas supplies from Slovakia have stayed unchanged at 37.7 million cubic meters per day.
European Commission Vice-President for Energy Maros Sefcovic earlier said the EU had no more potential to build up reverse gas flows to Ukraine.
The EU energy commissioner said Slovakia, Poland and Hungary "had used up all their technical possibilities, especially Slovakia, through which the largest gas volumes are supplied to Ukraine."
