The United States has strongly criticised Nord Stream 2, a 11 billion euro ($12.4 billion) project to build a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which opponents fear will undermine Ukraine’s gas transit revenues and increase the EU’s reliance on Russian gas.

Profit attributable to shareholders totaled RUB 149.2 bln, up 36.8% year-on-year. The growth was restrained with higher DD&A due to the launch of new production facilities.

The IMF staff team has had very productive discussions with the Ukrainian authorities, including with President Zelenskyi, on the review of Ukraine’s Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF.

"They still do not have permission from Russia to cross the border [after June 1] so the Kazakh company has decided to wait," a source at a major Ukrainian trading company said Tuesday. "No one knows exactly what's going to happen in June."

In the first quarter of 2019 LUKOIL Group's average hydrocarbon production excluding the West Qurna-2 project was 2,379 thousand boe per day, which is 4.1% higher year-on-year and 0.3% higher quarter-on-quarter. The increase was mainly driven by the development of gas projects in Uzbekistan.

Andriy Kobolev, head of state energy company Naftogaz Ukrayiny, said Ukraine will accumulate 20 Bcm of gas ahead of next winter, up from the 17 Bcm it usually has in underground storage facilities for the start of the heating season.

Putin said Ukraine was overpaying for gas which it could get much cheaper if it signed a transit deal with Russia.

Gazprom is looking to bypass Ukraine completely with the construction of the 55 Bcm/year Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the 31.5 Bcm/year TurkStream link, though some delays mean some kind of deal with Kiev will be necessary.

Renewable energy sources generated approximately 33 per cent of Great Britain’s electricity over the first quarter of 2019, according to new figures published by energy consultancy EnAppSys, with wind energy accounting for over 60% of renewable generation.

In absolute terms, the cumulative national debt of Ukraine in 2018 increased by 1.3%, to UAH 2.169 trillion, and in U.S. dollar terms by 2.5%, to $78.32 billion.