Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that until the end of the war, the burden of raising tariffs should not be put on people.

"Since there are other tariffs for heat, for hot water, I am sure until the end of the war, hostilities in Ukraine, there is no need to impose an additional burden on people," Shmyhal said on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday.

The prime minister noted that local budgets currently have more than UAH 150 billion in balance, which allows them to support their utilities, in particular water ones.

He stressed that this is the compromise that local budgets could take on and "not impose on the inhabitants of their communities."

The prime minister noted that in the future, the authorities would act together in matters of tariffs, communicate such decisions with the population in advance, and offer compensation mechanisms.

As reported, according to the decision of the regulator, tariffs for the services of 34 water utilities from July 1, 2023 should have increased by an average of 32%.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called its "shameful and unprofessional," Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal instructed Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko to conduct additional consultations with the NEURC on the possibility of reviewing decisions to increase water tariffs, calling it unacceptable and not agreed with the government, which is contrary to its policy.

The Minister of Energy himself called the NEURC decision unreasonable and not meeting the conditions of wartime, noting that the regulator did not discuss this decision, which is sensitive for society, either with the ministry or with other representatives of the government.

On July 3, the NEURC canceled the decision of June 29, 2023 on adjusting tariffs for centralized water supply and sanitation.