KIEV, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Running short on coal, Ukraine on Wednesday started importing the material from the United States, authorities have said.
"The first batch of American coal has reached Ukraine. It is a significant contribution to our energy security," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.
Earlier in the day, the first vessel carrying 62,000 tons of coal arrived in Ukraine's southern Black Sea port of Yuzhny.
The country plans to import a total of 700,000 tons of coal from the United States this year.
Ukraine heavily relies on coal for electricity production and heating. It is suffering inadequate supplies due to interruptions of anthracite coal supplies from eastern regions controlled by pro-independence insurgents.
