26 November 2021, Friday, 19:55 232

After Completion Of Contract With Gazprom On Natural Gas Transit In 2025, Situation Will Be Difficult - Zelenskyy

Даша Зубкова

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that after the completion of the contract with Gazprom (Russia) on natural gas transit in 2025, the situation will be difficult.

He announced this during the press marathon "30 Questions to the President of Ukraine" on Friday, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

“We now have challenge number 1 - this is 2025, when the contract for natural gas transit expires, I think it will be a difficult moment,” he said.

According to the President, the reform of thermal modernization is the only way out for the state's energy independence.

He specified that for the thermal modernization of all multi-storey buildings, the state needs UAH 300 billion, but there is no such money now.

"Within two years, we will show a serious step in the framework of thermal modernization. We will make a large number of multi-storey buildings. And in this example, we will show that such houses take two times less natural gas," Zelenskyy said.

He clarified that the idea of this reform is to ensure that the state has a sufficient share of its own natural gas production.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine wants to extend the contract with Gazprom on natural gas transit for 15 years.

In December 2019, the Naftogaz of Ukraine national joint stock company, the GTS Operator of Ukraine and Gazprom signed an agreement on the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe through the territory of Ukraine from 2020.

Ukraine and Russia have agreed that under this natural gas transit contract for five years, which can be extended after 2024, the transit volume in 2020 will amount to 65 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and in 2021-2024 - 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas.