The Ukrainian authorities are studying the issue of resuming direct supplies of Russian gas, when the country was gripped by massive protests over the increase in energy tariffs.
Since the new year, the cost of gas for the Ukrainian consumer has reached an all-time high. The ceiling price expected in January is UAH 14 [$0.5] per cubic meter. This figure, which has already provoked the discontent of the population, will not be final – the communal apartment will continue to rise in price.
Against this background, information appeared in the Ukrainian media that the government could start direct purchases of Russian gas. According to unconfirmed reports, Kiev is now studying the cost of such an issue.
It is assumed that such a scenario will reduce tariffs for the Ukrainian consumer by 30%. Nevertheless, even the prospect of such negotiations still raises doubts in the expert community, given the anti-Russian policy of Kiev and, in particular, the loud statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the refusal of the Russian vaccine against COVID-19 even at the cost of citizens’ lives.