Challenge Accepted: Kiev Ready to Live Without Russian Gas Over Winter

Ukraine could survive without any Russian gas over the winter if needed, the head of the European Integration Department of Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry said Friday.

KIEV (Sputnik) – Mykhailo Bno-Airiian said that it would be difficult to make it through winter without Russian gas deliveries, but not as critical if this had happened two or three years ago when Ukraine had been "practically forced" into consuming Russian fuel.

"Of course, we are considering all of the scenarios, and this is one of them," Mykhailo Bno-Airiian said in an interview with the Rada parliament television channel when asked if Ukraine could do without Russian gas over the winter season.

He added that Ukraine needed an average of 18 billion cubic meters of gas before the winter heating season began.

"We, of course, are having difficulties from the point of view in financing the purchase of gas and we are holding talks with our European and American partners and asking them for loans so that we may pump sufficient volumes of gas over the summer so that we may make it through the winter season with more or less certainty," Bno-Airiian said.

On July 1, Ukraine suspended gas purchases from Russia’s energy company Gazprom because the two countries were unable to reach an agreement covering the third quarter of 2015. At present, Ukraine receives reverse gas flows from Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.

During the June 30 round of gas talks in Vienna, Kiev demanded a discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, which exceeds the Russian discount offer by $70.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the $100 discount can no longer be provided to Ukraine due to a decline in global oil prices.