PJSC Gazprom from January 1, 2020 could start direct gas supplies to Ukrainian consumers in the event of signing accession agreements according to European rules, CEO of Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev has said.

"There is nothing preventing Gazprom from starting to supply gas to Ukrainian consumers at any time. As soon as we get signed accession agreements and as soon as we implement European standards for the gas market, Gazprom will be able to enter this market and supply gas to consumers in the quantities they wish. Moreover, they can do it quite efficiently if their pricing policy is cheaper than that of European suppliers," he said during the fifth Ukrainian Gas Forum in Kyiv.

According to him, today Gazprom's reluctance to fulfill the current contract with Naftogaz is a "political issue," and after it expires the Russian company can again enter the Ukrainian market if it offers a more interesting price in the current competitive market.

"I will not be surprised if on January 1 we see Gazprom Export as a supplier of gas to large Ukrainian consumers, enterprises in various fields," Kobolev said.

As reported, Ukraine for almost four years (since November 26, 2015) has not been importing natural gas under the contract with PJSC Gazprom (Russia), purchasing resources exclusively on its western border.