Ukraine Ready to Negotiate Summer Package

Ukraine said it is ready to negotiate a summer package on market conditions, adding that the price in the summer should be in the $250-300 range.

“We are ready to negotiate on market conditions, as we agreed at the trilateral level during the signing of the winter package” Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk commented in a note released on Friday.

Brussels would try to broker a deal between Moscow and Kiev. 

Kiev is trying to defuse tensions, underlining the achievements made over the last months. 

‘Ukrainian industrial consumers, government financed institutions, district heating companies and households used 5.24 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in January 2015, a drop of 19% (almost 1 bcm) compared to the same period last year’ Naftogaz wrote on Thursday.

Nonetheless, Ukraine continues to withdraw gas from its underground storage capacity. According to GIE data, the country’s storage facility are now 28.58% full. Neighbouring countries’ stored gas continued to decrease over the last days, with Hungary and Slovakia jointly holding around 4,250 mcm of gas in their facilities. 

During his remark, Yatsenyuk noted how Europe is central for its gas strategy.

"Now we have reached the figure: 67% from Europe and 33% - from Russia” he said, recalling that in 2013 the total volume of gas supplies to Ukraine from the European Union had been 5%, and from Russia 95%. 

Also on Friday, officials gathered in Riga for the Energy Union Conference. Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič repeated that Europe should now capitalise on current geopolitical tensions to decrease fossil fuels usage.

“It is a golden opportunity to encourage EU Member States to reduce costly public financial support to fossil fuels, invest in renewables and low-carbon technologies and end our dependence on external sources of oil and gas’ Šefčovič said as reported by the website of the European Commission.