Bloomberg: Ukraine Seeks More EU Gas Imports as Russia Demands Billions
Ukraine is seeking to import more natural gas from Europe via Slovakia as Russia demands an extra $11.4 billion for contracted fuel and clashes with pro-Russian forces in the country’s east escalate.
The European Union, Slovakia and Ukraine failed today to agree on flows from the west, aimed at reducing Kiev’s dependence on Russian gas, as officials met in Bratislava, Slovakia. EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said an accord to supply substantial volumes to Ukraine would require Russian consent.
With current proposals, European supplies could replace less than half the imports from Moscow-based OAO Gazprom (GAZP) this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.