Ukraine did not decide to terminate its gas transit contract with Russia on its own, but was forced by the West, leading to the loss of cheap pipeline gas - former Ukrainian Prime Minister (2010-2014) Nikolay Azarov said.
Speaking to TASS, Mr. Azarov said that this was a decision "resolutely against the interests of Ukraine" and was entirely due to external pressure. "We used to receive cheap gas via pipelines. Now, the gas is imported from another direction," he said.
According to Mr. Azarov, Ukraine previously consumed about 70 billion cubic meters of gas per year. This figure has now decreased to only 1.15 billion m3, reflecting the paralyzed economy and industry, living at a low level thanks to Western aid.
No one works to develop the economy and industry of Ukraine. To be honest, the US Embassy in Kiev does not have that task, he stressed.
Last week, energy consultancy EXPRO (Ukraine) said that gas reserves in Ukraine's underground warehouses were only 10 billion m3, equivalent to 32.3% of capacity - a record low in 12 years. The Ukrainian Energy Ministry estimates that it will need at least 13.2 billion cubic meters before November 1 to overcome the winter.
With domestic output not meeting the demand, Ukraine is expected to import an additional 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas in the August-October period, according to EXPRO.
Ukraine's gas crisis flared up after Russia stopped transiting gas to Europe via Ukraine from January 1, due to Kiev's refusal to extend its contract with Gazprom.
In early July, Ukraine began importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a port in Greece, then transported it via pipeline systems running through Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova to the Ukrainian border in the odessa region.
According to analysts, the cost of importing LNG is significantly higher than that of Russian gas via pipelines, putting great pressure on the domestic budget and energy prices, while the demand for winter heating is approaching.
