Ukraine currently requires an additional approximately $750 million to purchase the necessary volumes of natural gas ahead of the winter season. The total funding requirement for forming strategic reserves is estimated at nearly $2 billion. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky, emphasizing the importance of international support. European partners have already agreed to provide our country with an additional €127 million for these purposes.
This is reported by Finway
“Europe will allocate an additional €127 million to Ukraine for this,” noted President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Import Strategy and Cooperation with Partners
In order to optimize purchases and reduce the cost of gas transit, Naftogaz of Ukraine is negotiating long-term contracts with Slovakia. If agreements are reached, this will significantly reduce the tariff for supplying natural gas to Kyiv and other regions of the country.
Ukraine imports gas both directly to the gas transmission system and to the so-called “customs warehouse.” This service allows both foreign and Ukrainian companies to store fuel for up to three years without paying taxes and customs duties, which enhances the flexibility of the country’s energy market.
Dynamics of Gas Imports from Europe and Moldova
In 2020, before the onset of large-scale war, Ukraine imported the largest volumes of gas from Europe between February and September—over 1 billion cubic meters per month. By 2021, these figures had dropped: the total annual volume was only 3 billion cubic meters. After the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, in 2022, imports from the EU and Moldova further decreased: the peak did not exceed 500 million cubic meters per month.
In the fall of 2023, particularly in August and September, Ukraine injected over 1 billion cubic meters of gas, primarily into the “customs warehouse.” Throughout the past year, the country focused on its own production, and imports in the peak month of October amounted to 336.8 million cubic meters, while in other months the volumes were significantly lower.
In 2025, the import trend remained uneven: in January, only 59.9 million cubic meters of gas arrived in Ukraine, while in February the import volume rose to 558.4 million cubic meters. During the spring and summer, the supplies were as follows: in April – 277.4 million, in May – 518.7 million, and in June – 541.6 million cubic meters. In July, the volumes reached 839.6 million cubic meters, and in October – 683 million cubic meters.