“The negotiations have continued for quite a while. Taking into account the current power shortages, power supplies to Crimea have also been limited, so one of the preconditions of electricity supplies from Russia is its delivery to Crimea, this is their [Russian] demand,” Volodymyr Demchishin said.
Earlier in the week, Demchishin described electricity imports from Russia as a necessary step, despite its political difficulty. The minister has also urged consumers to use less electricity.
Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenergo has stated that the country's unified energy system is undergoing difficulties caused by coal shortages, the destruction of electrical networks and transport infrastructure in the conflict-torn southeastern regions.
Ukraine has also seen a drop in its gas stocks as it has been left without flows from Russia since June, when Russian energy giant Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment system over its massive debt. In October, the countries reached an interim deal on gas deliveries in the winter months.
