Kiev looks east

Ukraine may have swapped dependence on Russian natural gas for reliance on European supply but diversifying import routes is proving challenging

Having eliminated its dependence on Russian natural gas by switching to supply routed through neighbours in the European Union, Ukraine is now looking for alternative sources to strengthen its energy security and bring down costs. Central Asia's producers are top of Kiev's wish list, but getting hold of the gas won't be easy. Ukraine still acts as a transit route for Russian gas to Europe. But it hasn't imported any for domestic use since late 2015, due to the long-running political hostilities that escalated with Moscow's support for pro-Russian fighters in the east of the country, and the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. Instead, Kiev has been buying gas through the EU countries it bo