REUTERS
Naftogaz's top manager says Ukraine is Russia's key and advantageous customer.
Andrew Favorov, head of integrated gas business at NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, says he doubts long-term gas supplies from the Russian Federation to Europe are possible without transit through the territory of Ukraine.
"In the long run, I do not believe that deliveries of the Russian Federation to Europe can continue without transit through Ukraine for more than three months," he said when presenting a new gas production strategy in Ukraine.
"Let's live through these three months, the first quarter, then it will be easier to breathe out. Then let's see what has happened to our prices when the risk is gone," he said.
According to Favorov, before Ukraine and Russia sign a new transit contract, the entire European market includes the risks associated with this situation in the price of gas.
"If the Russian Federation wants to lose its most advantageous customer in Europe and let it switch to U.S. LNG, while proving to be an unreliable supplier and abandoning a more advantageous consumer, well, then we will have even more motivation to bolster production in Ukraine to take that niche on our own," he said.
As UNIAN reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that Kyiv and Moscow will soon agree on transit shipments of Russian gas through Ukraine.
UNIAN memo. The current transit contract between Ukraine and Russia's Gazprom was concluded in 2009 for 10 years. After its expiration from 2020, the Russian monopolist intends to reduce the transit of its gas through the territory of Ukraine as much as possible.