MOSCOW, November 15 (Sputnik) — Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko ordered the country's energy ministry to consider buying electricity from Russia in order to save own resources, a decree published on Poroshenko's official website said Saturday.
"The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine shall… within a week elaborate on the issues of electricity imports from the Russian Federation (in case of economic feasibility) in order to reduce the use of natural gas and oil by the domestic heat electropower and thermal power stations and to supply the customers with it [electricity]," the document said.
According to the same decree, Poroshenko has instructed the cabinet to switch all the energy consumers to a prepayment system from December 1.
"To the Cabinet of Ministers immediately… to introduce as of December 1, 2014 a prepayment system for energy consumption," the decree added.
As a result of the ongoing political crisis in the country, Ukraine is currently on the verge of a default. Kiev authorities are trying to rescue the country's economy with international loans.
The final round of gas talks on October 30 between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the European Union, ended with the signing of the so-called winter package agreement securing gas supplies to Ukraine until March.
As winter approaches, Kiev's inability to pay for the energy resources becomes the major pending issue for the Ukrainian economy.
