Ukrainian authorities have made some success in the fight against corruption in the energy sector, and in signing open and transparent contracts to buy gas from EU member states, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said.
“I would like to point out where we have succeeded: we have succeeded in overcoming corruption in the energy sector. We do not have billions of dollars, which have flowed into the pockets of Ukrainian oligarchs. At present, Ukraine buys gas in transparent and European conditions under open contracts with German companies and European companies,” Yatseniuk said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Thursday.
The Ukrainian prime minister stressed the importance of signing contracts on gas supply from the EU, with the aim of replacing Russian gas.
“I would like to note that with the personal assistance of the German chancellor, we have signed a tripartite agreement with the participation of Germany on the temporary supplies of natural gas, and we have replaced the natural gas which we bought in Russia for gas which we now get from member countries of the European Union, including Germany,” the premier said.
Yatseniuk also said the authorities were fighting against influential business groups, which wanted to have an influence on Ukrainian politics.
In addition, the prime minister said that the Ukrainian leadership was able to “keep the situation” in the country under control in 2014.
“We were able to keep the situation under control, despite the fact that Ukraine is in a state of war, in a state of undeclared war, which was launched by the Russian Federation. We held democratic parliamentary elections, we held democratic presidential elections, and formed a coalition, which has a constitutional majority,” he recalled.
