Ukraine still heavily relies on Russian gas, therefore it won’t be able to use reverse flows if the gas transit stops completely, Vladimir Putin said. As of now, the reverse gas flows “exist only on paper.”

There are no real reverse flows of gas in Ukraine, Putin said, adding that “if there’s no transit, there’re also no gas supplies.” He was apparently referring to reports that Ukraine continues to buy reverse supplies of Russian gas at a higher price from European nations.

The Russian president said that Ukraine is buying gas at twice the price it could have paid. Meanwhile, Kiev is “fooling around” instead of coming to terms with the conditions of gas transit decided by Moscow. Eventually, it is the Ukrainian taxpayer who suffers the most, Putin argued.

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Over the last few years, heating prices have increased by a whopping 1,400 percent while living standards have “dropped dramatically,” he noted. Kiev maintains that reverse gas flows from the EU to Ukraine are to help the country overcome its reliance on Russian gas.

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