You're reading: Demchyshyn says Ukraine not planning to supply electricity to Crimea

Ukraine does not see any reason to hold negotiations with Moscow on resuming electricity supplies to Crimea, says Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn.

“At the present moment, there is no reason for further negotiations,” Demchyshyn said at a press conference on Dec. 19, adding that electricity supplies to Crimea are a political issue.

He reiterated that Kyiv insisted on indicating Crimea as Ukrainian territory in an electricity supply contract, which is unacceptable to Moscow.

“No contract has been signed, and there is no basis for doing anything,” he said.

Electricity supplies to Crimea were restricted on Nov. 20, when two towers of a power transmission line supplying electricity to Crimea were blown up in the Henichesk and Chaplynka districts in Kherson region of Ukraine. The contract for electricity supplies to Crimea expired on Dec. 31.

Demchyshyn said on Jan. 13 that Ukraine would resume power supplies to Crimea only if a relevant contract is signed. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said next day that the contract would be signed only on the condition that Crimea is indicated in it as Ukrainian territory.