Increased extraction of Ukrainian gas, introduction of large-scale measures on energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in the medium term will ensure energy independence of Ukraine, believes Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman. He said it in an interview with Ukrinform.

Speaking about the Government's plans regarding the development of gas sector, Volodymyr Groysman noted that in recent years Ukraine had gradually reduced production of gas. The Prime Minister assures that this policy was deliberate.

"There were created in Ukraine all the conditions under which domestic gas production declined. Gas producers were clamped down on and prevented from development, but instead there were built up more and more conditions for legal and energy dependence on Russia. It was such a long term selling of our sovereignty to the Russian Federation. I think this was a deliberate policy of the then government. We have destroyed that," said Volodymyr Groysman.

The Prime Minister noted that the Government had embarked on production of own Ukrainian gas.

"Why do we need to buy this gas more expensively for currency abroad? It weakens our economy as well. Our essential line is to consume less while to provide efficient heating and to extract more," said he.

"Our objective is to develop our domestic production, and it should be a state-owned company, to cut the purchase of energy carriers from abroad, and we can assert that in 2016 we had positive performance in production, and I am glad as it shows we are following the right way. And in the new year we will add to the previous amount of the produced gas another 500 million cubic meters of gas", stressed the Head of Government.

"When you take into account that in parallel we are finally starting to implement ambitious energy saving measures with actual reducing energy consumption – we will ensure a balance between energy production and consumption. And that entails energy independence, development of the economy and competitiveness of the country in international markets. It will in the medium term give us a very good result," added Volodymyr Groysman.