Kyiv looks to Budapest to fix its mounting energy issues amid ongoing standoff with Russia.

Ukraine’s state gas grid operator said Tuesday it reached an agreement with Hungarian FGSZ grid operator allowing Kyiv to secure extra 30% of  gas supplies this year.

Under the new deal,  Ukraine will get access to 3,532,015 kWh/h capacities of FGSZ gas operator, which means it will be able to partly make up for supplies that poured in from Russia’s Gazprom.

According to Ukraine’s gas grip operator CEO Serhiy Makogon, the procurement scheme that is still run in a ‘trial mode’ will be extended till September 2022,  meaning Kyiv will have some room for maneuver stocking on gas ahead of the next year’s winter while more European gas traders from Austria, Slovakia, and Croatia will enter the Ukrainian market, that has long been dominated by Gazprom.