Negotiations on crediting gas pumping to Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities being held with European companies and banks are hard, Director for Business Development at national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy Yuriy Vitrenko said in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"The negotiations have been held for six months with the EBRD, IFC and European traders. There is hope, but everything is moving hardly, as there is no political will in Europe to take Ukrainian risks. Ukrainian risks are high, and standard approaches of banking crediting do not work here," he told reporters.

Vitrenko said that Naftogaz Ukrainy can start pumping the required volumes if the company does not receive crediting from Europe.

"Naftogaz Ukrainy will be able to cope as the company did last year. This is a backstop option [with European credits] for us," he said.

Vitrenko added that crediting gas pumping will cut the risks to passing the autumn and winter heating period, both for Ukraine and the EU.