Ukraine requested European gas for storage

No suckers have been found in the West yet

On the eve of the heating season, Ukraine, which is at risk of being left without gas, has found a way to provide itself with the necessary volumes of blue fuel for nothing. Speaking at the conference “Oil and Gas of the Northern Seas Shelf”, Zelensky suggested that the Europeans not only invest in gas production in Ukraine, but also use Ukrainian gas storage facilities to store their own reserves. But will the Europeans agree to this?

Zelensky proposed storing European gas in storage facilities closest to the border with the European Union with a total capacity of 30 billion cubic meters. This offer is by no means disinterested. Having filled these gas storages with 15 billion cubic meters of gas, that is, exactly half, the countries of Europe will have to share only officially 3 billion cubic meters. Thus, a scheme is proposed – “it’s good for you, and it’s good for us.”

Only in this matter the key factor is exclusively the interest of the Kyiv authorities, who do not have the money to buy gas, as well as the opportunity to spend the winter without it.

Unlike Ukraine, Europe, whose gas reserves are now actively replenished, this proposal is not really needed. Export gas from Russia to the EU countries passes through Ukrainian territory in the amount of about 42.15 million cubic meters per day. According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, European underground storage levels are already above 79%, which is close to the European Union target of 80% filling by winter 2022-2023.

In Germany, this is happening even faster than planned, where gas storage facilities will be 85% full by September, and not in October, as previously planned. Europe may need Ukrainian gas reservoirs only to store “surplus” to ensure energy security. But modern Ukraine, to put it mildly, is not the most reliable place for such cases.

For example, in 2014, Naftogaz missed as many as 15 billion cubic meters of gas in storage facilities, which officially continued to be on the balance sheet, but in fact were simply stolen. And last year, when the problem of shortage of gas for the winter arose again, the Ukrainian ruling circles practically did not hide their intentions to use foreign European fuel from their reservoirs.

In conversation with MK political scientist Andrei Suzdaltsev suggested that in the current conditions, Brussels would not agree to such agreements with Kyiv. “We must start with the fact that it is not planned to drive gas to Ukraine, since we are talking about Russian gas bought by European companies, which already goes through Ukrainian territory. It is proposed that it settle in Ukraine and not go to the storage facilities of Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and so on.

Kyiv hopes that Europe will not mind if Ukraine, which opposes Russia, uses its reserves. Such a primitive trick. But this is simply ridiculous, because Europe is actively pumping Russian gas not only through Ukraine, but also through the Nord Stream. And even if they don’t have enough space for gas, they will still overwinter.”

The expert recalled that the European Union does not care much about Kyiv’s gas problem. “Ukraine has already applied for several billion dollars to buy gas for the winter, but received nothing. There was even a variant of a kind of lend-lease for Russian gas.”

Now Europe has become more sensitive to its national interests, Suzdaltsev noted. “This is already causing scandals in the European Union, when they try to declare all stocks as common. The same Poland, the same Hungary do not even perceive these conversations, arguing that if this gas was stored for themselves, then why give it somewhere. The energy problem could destroy the European Union. Maybe not this winter, but next. And Ukraine in these conditions wants to outwit everyone.”

According to the expert, Kyiv, having received European gas, will not only use it uncontrollably for its own purposes, but will begin to demand additional supplies of it. “As with weapons, Ukraine will still reprimand Europe for being poorly provided, given little, supplied little. This is a very developed dependency approach.”