Ukraine's Naftogaz to sign gas deals with Vattenfall, Trafigura

KIEV (Reuters) — Ukraine's Naftogaz plans to sign natural gas purchase agreements with Trafigura Trading (Europe) Sarl and Vattenfall Energy Trading GmbH as it expands supply from Europe.

Kiev has looked to diversify away from Russian energy imports since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Naftogaz plans to sign a framework agreement with Vattenfall which will allow it to buy gas worth up to 105.9 B hryvnias ($4.1 B), a July 17 regulatory filing showed.

Naftogaz will be able to buy gas worth up to 100.9 B hryvnias under a similar deal with Trafigura, the filing showed.

Naftogaz's press service declined to disclose details.

Ukraine has not imported gas directly from Russia since November 2015, instead relying on imports from EU member states and its own production.

In the first half of the 2017, Ukraine imported 7 Bcm of gas from Europe and produced 10.3 Bcm.

Naftogaz bought gas from 14 European traders last year, funded partly by loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow have soured since the annexation of Crimea and in the wake of a Kremlin-backed separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine in which more than 10,000 people have died.

Reporting by Natalia Zinets; editing by Matthias Williams and Jason Neely

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