Ukraine requires approximately $750 million more to purchase additional volumes of gas necessary for the heating season of 2024/2025. The total amount needed for gas procurement is estimated at $2 billion. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who emphasized that the European Union is providing Ukraine with an additional €127 million in financial support from this amount.
This is reported by Business • Media
Preparation for the Heating Season and New Contracts
The state company “Naftogaz of Ukraine” is actively working on concluding long-term contracts with Slovak partners. These agreements aim to reduce the transit tariff for gas to Kyiv, which will help optimize costs for supplying fuel to the population during the winter period.
“The total amount of funds for purchasing additional volumes of gas is estimated at around $2 billion,” noted President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Dynamics of Gas Imports from Europe During the War
Ukraine imports gas both directly into its own gas transportation system and to the so-called “customs warehouse.” The latter service allows Ukrainian and foreign companies to store gas in the country’s facilities for three years without paying taxes and customs duties.
In 2020, before the full-scale invasion by Russia, Ukraine received the most gas from Europe between February and September—over 1 billion cubic meters per month. By 2021, these volumes had decreased to a total of 3 billion cubic meters for the year. Following the onset of Russian aggression, imports from the EU and Moldova further declined: in 2022, peak monthly figures did not exceed 500 million cubic meters.
In August-September 2023, Ukraine again injected over 1 billion cubic meters, primarily into the “customs warehouse.” At the same time, throughout the past year, the country focused on its own production. In October, which became the peak month for import volumes, 336.8 million cubic meters of gas were imported from the European Union and Moldova. In other months, imports were significantly lower.
Throughout 2024, the dynamics of gas imports fluctuated significantly. In January, only 59.9 million cubic meters were imported, while in February this figure rose to 558.4 million. The spring-summer period also saw an increase: in April, 277.4 million were imported, in May—518.7 million, in June—541.6 million, and in July—839.6 million cubic meters of gas. In October, the import volume was 683 million cubic meters.