The Ukrainian government has sought to diversify its energy sources by negotiating with Germany, Romania and Turkey for possible purchases of natural gas, according to Xinhua.
The move is aimed at reducing Ukraine`s dependence on Russian gas, local media reported Monday.
According to Kommersant-Ukraine daily newspaper, Ukraine is planning to buy from 2 to 3.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from each of these countries annually.
The price of natural gas in Europe is about 30 to 40 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters, which is much lower than the price for Russian gas, the newspaper said with the reference to its own source in the Ukrainian Energy Ministry.
On Saturday, Ukraine`s state-run Naftogaz said Ukraine intends to purchase around 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas in Europe beginning from summer 2012.
Ukraine is demanding a revision of the supply contract signed with Russia in January 2009, which tied gas price to those of oil.
In the first quarter of 2012, Russian gas costs Ukraine 416 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.
