At the beginning of April 2026, natural gas imports to Ukraine sharply decreased to 0.8 million cubic meters per day, marking the lowest level since January 2025.
This is reported by Finway
Reasons for the Sharp Decline in Imports
Compared to March 31, import volumes fell by more than 30 times – from 24 million cubic meters to 0.8 million cubic meters per day. The main reason for this decline was the high gas prices in Europe. Throughout March, the price of gas in European markets consistently exceeded Ukrainian prices: on European platforms, gas was on average 9 euros per megawatt-hour more expensive than in the domestic market of Ukraine.
Significant price increases in Europe occurred at the beginning of March and were caused by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Prolonged hostilities and the blockade of liquefied gas supplies from Qatar and the UAE through the Strait of Hormuz led to increased gas prices in European markets, and this trend continues.
“Under these conditions, imports to Ukraine become economically unfeasible. At the same time, Ukraine can temporarily refrain from purchasing gas, as the level of reserves in storage is higher than last year. The gas withdrawal season ended on March 10 and was one of the shortest, with reserves amounting to 9.5 billion cubic meters – 1.6 times more than a year ago.”
Import Structure and Prospects
Currently, natural gas imports to Ukraine are only coming from Poland: 0.8 million cubic meters are received daily, which is pumped into the “customs warehouse” mode in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities. Supplies from other directions are absent.
It is expected that minimal import volumes will be maintained throughout April. Ukraine aims to accumulate at least 13 billion cubic meters of gas in storage by November 1, 2026, which is possible even without significant purchases. For full preparation for the heating season, it is necessary to import about 0.5 billion cubic meters of gas before the beginning of November. At the same time, an increase in imports is anticipated if prices at European gas hubs decrease.