Putin's threat to introduce prepayment for gas could leave Ukraine without fuel next winter
Kyiv, April 17 (Navigator, Vladimir Mikhailov) – If Vladimir Putin fulfills his promise, and Russia in a month introduces gas supplies to Ukraine only on prepayment, this will be a heavy blow to Kiev - the Ukrainian side will not have time to pump gas into storage and prepare for winter .
The president of the Kyiv International Energy Club Q-club, Alexander Todiychuk, told Navigator.
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Of course, Western countries are now declaring their readiness to help Ukraine pay off gas debts, but we are talking about debts that already exist. It’s hard to say whether the West will help with the funds for the advance payment.
It is possible that Ukraine will not buy gas at all for several months, the expert believes.
“I don’t believe that Ukraine will be able to find funds for this, because now it’s a lot of money for Ukraine,” he says.
Usually, starting from the second half of April and May, pumping into underground storage facilities and preparation for the winter season was carried out; now it can be delayed until July.
“We may simply not have time to pump gas. Therefore, those who have the opportunity to prepare alternative energy sources should do so,” the expert advises.
Delayed injection into storage facilities means a high risk of being left without gas next winter. According to Alexander Todiychuk, this risk depends on weather conditions in winter and how much gas can be received by reverse from the EU along all routes.
“If we manage to reach a capacity of 15-17 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year, then there is still a chance to survive the winter more or less normally, if not, there may be problems,” the expert believes.
In his opinion, this primarily depends on whether Ukraine manages to reach an agreement with Slovakia. According to his estimates, the reverse through Poland and Hungary could provide a total supply of 5-7 billion gas per year, but in reality this will be less, since Ukraine did not create a reserve during the first quarter.
Putin's threat to introduce prepayment for gas could leave Ukraine without fuel next winter.