Ukraine's gas transit infrastructure as a component of the security of the Eurasian natural gas market

Management of the gas transit infrastructure and its use under the international obligations, structural changes on the gas market, globalization, integration and global competition - all those factors impact Ukraine's energy and inter-branch balances influencing this country's economic security. The paper deals with the potential of the domestic gas transit infrastructure, its strategic performance and the prospects of its usage at the European gas markets. Attention is paid to the importance of underground gas storages. The author outlines the competitive strengths of the domestic gas transit sphere and analyzes the conditions of the formation of gas supply systems to the European Union with the participation of the powerful stakeholders, such as Russian Federation, Iran, Turkey, and Algeria. Proved are the Ukrainian influence on the regional energy security, resource competition at the foreign energy markets and the necessity of the system binding of gas buying price and the tariff of gas transit to the European countries.