KIEV, Dec. 29 – Ukraine began direct contract imports of electricity on Monday under a contract signed on Sunday, President Petro Poroshenko said.

"That agreement was signed yesterday. There has been a cross-flow [of electricity] since midnight, according to a report I've had. It's for 1.4 gigawatts, if I'm not mistaken. This has enabled us, according to the minister of energy, to reduce the capacity of coal units in order to accumulate some coal," Poroshenko told a news conference.