Potential reduction in imported gas prices for Ukraine: Slovakia ready to make concessions
Amid changes in Ukraine’s oil and gas sector, there is new hope for lowering the cost of imported gas, which is crucial for stabilizing the country’s economy during the winter season.
According to sources, Slovakia, one of the key transit partners, may reduce transit tariffs for gas through its territory to Ukraine if Kyiv signs long-term import contracts with Naftogaz.
This could be achieved through agreements between the governments of the two countries, especially after recent negotiations between Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyri-denko and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.____Prime Minister Svyri-denko noted that work is currently underway to prepare new long-term gas contracts, which could help lower transit tariffs, currently significantly higher than those via neighboring Poland and Hungary.
This opens new opportunities for Ukraine to reduce import costs and diminish price pressures during the heating season.____Attention should also be paid to the financial situation: President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine is short of about $750 million to purchase the necessary amount of gas for this heating period.
This figure is considerably less than the previous total of $2 billion needed for gas procurement.
Lower tariffs and additional financial resources will be vital for stabilizing the country’s energy sector during the winter months.