Ukraine Mulls Joining Turkish LNG Project

Ukraine has said that it considering joining a Turkish LNG project after an invitation was extended to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The invitation came as part of discussions between Turkey and Ukraine yesterday, in a meeting held in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. The Ukrainian President said that the invitation would be given due consideration with a decision on the prospect to be taken soon.

"We will work on this issue and will get the answer soon," he said. No further details of Ukraine's potential involvement in the project were given as part of the statement published on the Ukrainian presidential pages yesterday.

At the meeting, Ukraine also reaffirmed its support of the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) project, saying it was still keen to be involved in the Turkish pipeline. Ukraine has previously stated its interest in joining the TANAP consortium, a pipeline that is planned to carry gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey.

"I would like to stress our interest in acceding to the project of Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline – we've discussed this issue with Mr. Prime Minister," President Yanukovych said.

Ukraine is seeking to gain interests in several European projects, with Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov pledging both a "financial contribution" and "pipes and compressor stations" to the project. Currently, Azeri state-run gas producer SOCAR holds an 80 per cent stake in the TANAP pipeline. Turkish firms TPAO and BOTAS hold a 10 per cent stake each.