Ukrainian gas reverse supplies depend 30-40% on Russia-EU shipments

14:24, 17.03.2016 1 min read

Reverse gas supplies from the European Union (EU) to Ukraine depend 30-40% on volumes shipped from Russia to Europe, Ukrtransgaz President Ihor Prokopiv has said.

"We understand that if Russia completely stops gas supplies to the EU as we saw this in 2009 we will not manage to get enough reverse gas. It won’t be stopped at all, but we could lose 30% or 40%," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

Prokopiv said that a statement of Russia's Gazprom that Russia would completely stop using the Ukrainian gas transport system in the future is political bluff.

"What is Nord Stream? This is a pipeline that entered the sea and goes to Germany, while the Ukrainian route is the market with a huge consumption and enormous gas storage facilities. Russians supply gas across Ukraine and they do not have a headache, as our market is a giant buffer that allows us to balance shipments," he said.