Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Ukraine will not freeze in winter

"Putin wants to freeze us. That won’t work", said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk in the program Facts of the Week with Oksana Sokolova on ICTV channel on Sunday, October 19.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that half a year ago there had been accumulated 5 billion cubic meters of gas in the Ukrainian gas storage facilities, unlike the amount accumulated nowadays, being 16.7 billion cubic meters, "in fact, during six months we have pumped up about 12 billion cubic meters of gas".

"Russia has actually cut gas supplies from June 16. Hence, for the first time in 23 years we have changed the purchasing of gas from Russia to that from the European Union. 60% of the gas amount we were buying in the Russian Federation before, now is being bought from our European partners," he explained.

According to him, in order to pass the winter smoothly we need 5 billion cubic meters of gas more, " in order to get through the winter following a standard procedure."

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that the Government is ready to turn on the heating as is stipulated by law, that is, when an average daily temperature during three days in a row falls below +8 degrees Celsius, "we possess enough resource to start the heating season".

"Putin wants to freeze us. Putin will freeze Donetsk and Luhansk in such a way, as we lack technical tools just to deliver gas there. And through this blackmail, which exists within the Kremlin walls, and a desire to return Ukraine under his sphere of influence, he will do anything to tear us away from Europe. It will not work", stressed the Head of Government.

"We will come through, we’ll survive this winter," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.