Ukraine will continue import fuel from Russia for at least 3 to 5 years to meet domestic demand, state energy firm Naftogaz said Tuesday, according to Xinhua.
"Even if we are able to realize all our plans for gas production, by 2015 we will be able to cover only 70 percent of the domestic consumption. To fully meet the country's energy needs we require at least 3-5 years," deputy head of Naftogaz Vadym Chuprun told reporters here.
This year, Ukraine plans to import 27.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas, of which 18 billion cubic meters from Russia, Chuprun said.
Ukraine, which pays around 400 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters of gas from Russia in the third quarter of 2013, hopes to become self-sufficient in gas by 2020, producing 70 billion cubic meters annually.
Last year, Kiev slashed its gas imports from Russia by 27 percent to 32.874 billion cubic meters.
