REUTERS
Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk says that Ukraine will not buy coal from Russia as it has sufficient coal stocks.
"This year we won't buy power-generating coal from Russia. Our stocks today are about 3 million tonnes, we will only be building them up," he told reporters.
Not the supply of coal but its efficient use is important to Ukraine, he said.
"Our coal [stocks] are enough and to spare," he added.
Read alsoOSCE sees four trucks with coal in occupied Donbas close to Russian borderAs UNIAN reported, Ukraine faced a deficit of coal in summer 2014 when it lost control of Donbas where most of coal mines producing anthracite are located.
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In 2015, Ukraine imported bituminous coal and anthracite to the tune of $1.632 billion. The largest coal shipments last year arrived from Russia, the United States, and Kazakhstan. Coal imports from Russia were estimated at $771.3 million (47.2% of spending on solid fuel), shipments from the United States amounted to $400 million (24.5%), from Kazakhstan to $123.7 million (7.6%). Coal imports from other countries were estimated at $338.2 million .