In the heat of the trade war and ahead of signing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, Kiev took a serious decision to stop gas import from Russia completely. Last week, the company Naftogaz of Ukraine halted all energy deliveries from the Russian Gazprom. Prior to this decision, the Ukrainian consumers bought 3.2 billion cubic meters of gas only in the month of October; it is about 104 million cubic meters per day. As the date of signing the EU treaty is approaching, the volumes of purchases have become thinner. In early November, the sales to Ukraine reduced twice, and on November 6 and 7 they were as small as single digits. According to official reports, the figures fell from 104 million to a record low of 9 million cubic meters per day. November 8, the Central Dispatch Administration of the Fuel and Energy Complex of the Russian Federation reported a complete cessation of supply. Thus, it confirms that Ukraine intends to minimize the volume of Russia's natural gas supplies if Moscow continues to apply a formal approach to common issues. Let us recall that recently head of Gazprom Alexey Miller has asked the Ukrainian authorities to settle the debt of 882 million dollars. Supporting the tough stance of Russia, Prime Minister Medvedev suggested “to supply gas on a prepaid basis only”. In response, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Eduard Stavitskiy said that "Naftogaz of Ukraine" pays back all debts according to the contract. Within the past few years, the countries have not been able to reach a consensus and find a solution that will be convenient for both Kiev and Moscow. Ukraine is looking for alternative gas shipment projects. Purchases from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are considered as a variant.
