Ukraine is very close to signing deals to receive natural gas from alternative sources now, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Valeriy Khoroshkovsky said.
"There has been a lot of talk about looking for alternative sources of energy supplies, since this is closely related to this country’s energy security. At the present time, Ukraine is as close to receiving gas from other sources as it has never been before. This will not be a compensating volume, but, nevertheless, this is still important," Khoroshkovsky said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
"It will be easier for us to talk with our main gas supplier (Russia) on revising the prices for gas coming to Ukraine if we really have gas supply alternatives. Obstinacy is primarily dictated by a monopolistic position," Khoroshkovsky said.
The Ukrainian national energy supplier Naftogaz is continuing negotiations with a number of European companies on supplies of European gas to Ukraine, he said.
"Such negotiations are taking place indeed. The European gas market is subject to fluctuations in terms of the time of consumption, the price, and volumes. Based on this, what matters is not only availability of gas but also the possibility of its transportation, and the negotiations are underway on both issues," he said.
