Newly appointed chief of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, said on Friday that the government tasked him with increasing gas production and ensuring that pressure will continue to be put on Russia's Gazprom in addition to fighting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) Newly appointed chief of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, said on Friday that the government tasked him with increasing gas production and ensuring that pressure will continue to be put on Russia's Gazprom in addition to fighting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction.
On Wednesday, Ukraine's government terminated its contract with Andriy Kobolyev as Naftogaz CEO without prior notice and appointed Vitrenko as the new chairman of the board. Vitrenko served as acting energy minister from December 2020 until his appointment.
"I discussed this appointment with the prime minister, I discussed it with the president, who was also present at that meeting, since this is a national company performing national tasks on which national security depends. We talked about it. These tasks include an increase in our own production, because this is energy independence," Vitrenko said at a press conference.
According to him, Ukrainian leadership tasked him with improving the company's financial performance. Vitrenko stressed that the country has a lot of natural resources that Naftogaz can utilize and expects to see the first positive results before the end of the year.
He also said that Ukraine would continue to "fight" against Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and expressed hope that the United States and Germany will help with preventing its launch.
Additionally, Vitrenko affirmed the company's intentions to use all tools at its disposal to put pressure on Russian energy giant Gazprom, including filing new lawsuits.
"Yes, we will [file lawsuits] ... The maximum pressure that Naftogaz can exert on Gazprom, using all our legal capabilities, of course, this will be done," Vitrenko stated, adding that the company will seek to relocate gas transfer centers for European consumers to the Russian border.
Meanwhile, Vitrenko's appointment has raised concerns among Ukraine's partners. On Friday, UK Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons condemned the dismissal of Naftogaz management and urged the country to increase governance transparency in state-owned companies to attract foreign investors.
"The dismissal of the Naftogaz leadership poses real questions. To convince potential UK investors to come to Ukraine, corporate governance in SOEs [state owned enterprises] must become more transparent and independent of political influence," she tweeted.
Earlier on Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Ned price also expressed alarm over the cabinet ministers' actions, saying that the decision showed "disregard for fair and transparent corporate governance practices" and resulted in a major setback in efforts to reform Ukraine's energy sector.
