Ukraine’s diesel prices are expected to reach 100 hryvnias per litre within days, a financial analyst has warned, as blocked ports strip out a quarter of the country’s fuel supply.
Financial analyst Andriy Shevchyshyn told Novyny.LIVE that the port closures have already cut 20 to 25 percent of diesel imports and that wholesale prices have already exceeded retail levels. He said the 100-hryvnia mark looked entirely probable in the near term, and that premium fuel networks could add several more hryvnias on top.
A-95 petrol is likely to stay below 100 hryvnias, with premium stations potentially reaching around 92 hryvnias per litre, he added.
Shevchyshyn warned that rising diesel costs would hit farmers hardest during the harvest season, with knock-on effects on food prices. He called for a temporary suspension of the mandatory bioethanol blending requirement for petrol, saying bioethanol costs $10 to $30 more per purchase and adds roughly half a hryvnia to one hryvnia at the pump.
Average diesel prices rose 1.33 hryvnias to 91.99 hryvnias per litre as of July 31, a record high, while petrol prices stabilised. Fuel expert Dmytro Leushkin, founder of the Prime group of companies, said the number of stations selling diesel with purchase restrictions could increase.
