With the beginning of April, natural gas imports to Ukraine sharply decreased to 0.8 million cubic meters per day – the lowest level since January 2025.

Compared to March 31, volumes dropped more than 30 times – from 24 million cubic meters to 0.8 million cubic meters.

The reason for the decline was high gas prices in Europe, which throughout March consistently exceeded those in Ukraine. On average, gas on European platforms traded €9/MWh higher than on the domestic market.

At the beginning of March, prices in Europe increased due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Given the ongoing hostilities and the disruption of LNG supplies from Qatar and the UAE through the Strait of Hormuz, gas prices in European markets remain high.

Under such conditions, imports to Ukraine become economically unprofitable. At the same time, Ukraine can temporarily refrain from purchasing gas, as storage levels are higher than last year. The gas withdrawal season ended on March 10 and was one of the shortest, with reserves amounting to 9.5 billion cubic meters – 1.6 times higher than a year earlier.

At the beginning of April, imports remain minimal – only 0.8 million cubic meters are supplied from Poland and injected into the “customs warehouse” in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities. There are no supplies from other directions.

Low import volumes are expected to persist throughout April. Ukraine plans to accumulate at least 13 billion cubic meters of gas in storage by November 1, 2026, and this can be achieved even without active purchases.

At the same time, for full preparation for winter, it is necessary to import approximately 0.5 billion cubic meters of gas by November 1. A potential increase in imports is expected if prices on European hubs decline.

Reference source: http://surl.li/bjvkcswe156e