You're reading: Donetsk People’s Republic says it is ready to supply coal to Ukraine

Moscow - The administration of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic says it has the coal reserves to supply to Kyiv, but does not see evidence that Ukraine is ready to resume energy dialogue.

“Coal extraction in Donbas continues, we have coal. However, Kyiv currently is still not ready to buy it and therefore we can’t begin the supplies,” Andriy Purhin, first deputy prime minister of the DPR, said at a working meeting in the Federation Council on Nov. 10.

Purhin said that, despite the fact that the DPR currently has no program for rebuilding all industrial enterprises,” some factories are getting contracts and work is being done. We have to work with every enterprise individually, using individual schemes,” he said.

In the meantime, the humanitarian situation in Donbas remains difficult.

“The situation in the humanitarian sphere is difficult. We have begun paying some people pensions and wages. However, Ukraine is still taking a considerable amount of taxes and is not giving them back. Nevertheless, we have been able to begin the heating season, we are repairing 300 electric substations that had been damaged in the fighting, and we are working on rebuilding housing and utilities infrastructure,” Purhin said.