Ukraine needs about €2 billion to buy gas for the winter – Svyrydenko

Ukraine requires around €2 billion to purchase gas for the upcoming winter, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said during a government question hour in the Verkhovna Rada.

"The amount of additional financing needed for gas imports is about €2 billion," she stated.

According to Svyrydenko, the shortfall will be covered through two main sources: domestic reserves and external assistance from international partners.

"The domestic reserve includes the government’s reserve fund, from which we allocated funds yesterday, as well as financing from Ukraine’s banking sector and Naftogaz operations," she explained.

She added that the second part of the funding will come from partner assistance through grants and loans.

"We are cooperating with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank. Norway is providing a €150 million grant, and today, during a meeting with the German Energy Minister, we received confirmation of an additional €60 million contribution to the relevant fund. These funds will be used for gas imports," Svyrydenko said.

• As a result of a massive Russian missile strike on October 3 in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions, about 60% of Ukraine’s gas production capacity has been taken offline.
• On October 13, EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said that the European Union is working to provide Ukraine with an additional €100 million to support the heating season.
• The EBRD is also considering allocating another €500 million for Ukraine’s gas purchases following the Russian attacks.