Poroshenko: Ukraine has Survived First Winter without Russian Gas
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, said that the country has demonstrated its independence from Russian gas during the autumn-winter heating season, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
"Russia thought that they would bring us to our knees by offering gas at $212/cubic meter. I discussed this with the Minister who called Russia and said: 'No, we will not take your gas,'" Poroshenko stated.
According to Poroshenko, Ukraine now buys gas from Europe, which costs less than buying gas from Russia. "Today we experienced the first winter without Russian gas," he added.
It is known that earlier the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry, Volodymyr Demchyshyn, said that Ukraine will consider the purchase of Russian gas only at the end of February.