Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman denied at a government meeting on Wednesday that his government is planning to review the price of gas up. "I read it in the media in the morning: the government plans to raise the price of gas. I do not know anything about it," Groysman said. In turn, Energy Minister Ihor Nasalik described media reports of the alleged plans to raise the price of gas as "absolute nonsense".
Groysman said that the allegation was the second loudest fake in recent weeks.
"It's like [the media] reported that Groysman said that there is no corruption in Ukraine. Well, friends, I was interviewed by the authoritative Forbes publication during my visit to Georgia. I clearly said that that we made systemic steps to destroy corruption. For example, we destroyed corruption in VAT returns, there is no maneuver here any longer, but I said that corruption remained in state companies, in courts, etc. I also said that the enemies of Ukraine, and I meant one enemy, Russia, again and again spread lies in foreign media about corruption [in Ukraine]," the head of government said.
Earlier, Ukrainian News on Wednesday said referring to a draft Cabinet resolution that the government mulled departing since April from setting the price of gas for the population on a semi-annual basis based on the price of imported parity.
The Cabinet by 1 October, 2017, was to revise upward the price of gas for households and heat and utility companies in accordance with an increase the European market.
The Cabinet refused to raise prices then and sent a proposal to the International Monetary Fund to change the gas pricing formula.
The current gas prices have been in effect since May 2016.