Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers says it is determined to ban imports of thermal coal from the Russian Federation, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk told the online portal Reform.Energy in Kyiv on March 22.
“A draft resolution is currently in the pipeline. A decision will follow,” he said when answering a question about plans to ban anthracite coal imports from Russia.
The draft resolution is planned to be considered at the next but one Cabinet meeting, the minister said.
As was reported, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on March 15, 2017, decided to suspend freight transportation across the contact line in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone in Donbas.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the de-facto authorities of the temporarily uncontrolled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions Ukrainian had started shipping Ukrainian coal to Russia.
Coal imports from Russia totaled 903,200 tonnes worth $114.58 million worth in January 2017, Ukraine’s State Statistics Service said. Of the amount, there was only 46,860 tonnes of anthracite worth $3.66 million. Most of imports from Russia was bituminous coal whose shipments in January 2017 totalled 856,400 tonnes worth $110.92 million. Bituminous coal is used in metallurgy.
