Middle Eastern diesel will begin to be supplied to Ukraine — Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that during his visit to the Middle East, he reached an agreement on the supply of diesel fuel to Ukraine for at least one year.
The head of state made this statement during a press briefing.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine set itself two goals and achieved both.
“I needed to reach an agreement; the rest is up to Naftogaz—how to ensure the country’s supply of, say, diesel fuel in the event of a global shortage and major challenges. Yesterday, I secured a diesel supply for at least a year. That’s it. The rest is now up to our company and local companies,” the president said.
He also noted that Ukraine’s fuel reserves were depleted. The reasons the country did not replenish them include Russian attacks since the start of the war, as well as long-term contracts held by Ukrainian companies, the private sector, or “Ukrnafta.”
“In other words, our reserves are tied up in contracts. But when there are challenges, when there is a shortage, this can work, or it can slow down. That is why we need long-term agreements with energy-producing countries, I would say. That is exactly what we are negotiating,” Zelenskyy explained.
The head of state also emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently 100% supplied with fuel.
“Our priority is the army; we have a clear understanding of the volume of our supplies. Our total supply of diesel and gasoline for the entire country, including the army, is about 700,000 tons per month. We have a rough idea of the volumes—somewhere around eight, or 7.2–7.4 million tons per year. Basically, we know how to ensure this,” he concluded.
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the Middle East resulted in the signing of three agreements, including one on the joint production of drones.
On Friday, March 27, the average price of A-95 gasoline fell by 12 kopecks to 71.73 UAH/liter, while diesel fuel rose by 13 kopecks and costs 84.67 UAH/liter.
As of March 27, most Ukrainian gas stations kept prices at the previous level. However, the state-owned "Ukrnafta" network saw a significant drop in the price of premium gasoline.
