The Energy Minister of Bulgaria’s technical government considers it necessary for the country to hold talks with Gazprom on resuming gas supplies, which were interrupted in April. Rosen Hristov did not say when negotiations with the Russian monopoly would begin, but stressed that they are necessary for Bulgaria to receive cheaper gas. “In connection with the demands of industry and unions, negotiations with Gazprom to resume gas supplies are inevitable,” Hristov quoted on Monday, August 22, by Reuters.

Bulgaria covered more than 90% of its needs with Russian gas until Gazprom stopped deliveries to the country in April. This happened because the former government of Sofia, due to European sanctions for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, refused to pay for gas in rubles, as demanded by Moscow. The long-term contract with Gazprom expires at the end of 2022.

Currently, Bulgaria, which needs around three billion cubic meters of gas a year, receives a third from Azerbaijan and buys the rest on the world market.

In Bulgaria, they fear the Kremlin’s increasing influence

Hristov accused the former government of Prime Minister Kirill Petkov of destabilizing relations with Moscow due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The situation with Gazprom is not rosy. We must now turn to them. The negotiations will be very tough and difficult,” said the minister. Petkov’s government collapsed in June after just six months in power. It was not possible to form a new government, so President Rumen Radev called early parliamentary elections and appointed an interim technical government.

On August 2, hundreds of Bulgarians took to the streets to protest against the provisional government, fearing it would press for the resumption of Russian gas supplies, which would increase the Kremlin’s influence on the Bulgarian economy. The Russian ambassador to Bulgaria said on 21 August that gas supplies could be resumed if there was political will from the authorities in Sofia. But on condition that payment is made in rubles.