Kyiv and Warsaw have agreed to gradually increase the capacity for importing gas from Poland to Ukraine starting in early February 2026. The deal was announced on Tuesday by Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, who stressed that the arrangement is meant to help stabilise heat supplies for households as well as for key infrastructure facilities, including hospitals and schools. According to the Ukrainian side, Poland’s gas transmission system operator Gaz-System and Ukraine’s gas transmission operator (GTSOU) agreed on a schedule to raise the available capacity. By the end of April, daily capacity on the Poland-to-Ukraine route is expected to increase from 15.3 million cubic metres to 18.4 million cubic metres. Gaz-System has indicated that the increase is possible thanks in part to infrastructure upgrades on the Polish side—media reports point to the metering station in Hermanowice, modernised at the end of 2025—and to the way capacity is offered, including additional interruptible capacity. The agreement comes at a time when Ukraine is facing an exceptionally harsh winter: severe frosts coincide with continued Russian strikes that repeatedly hit energy and district-heating infrastructure. In January, international reports described the Ukrainian power system as experiencing its most difficult day since late 2022, and in Kyiv thousands of buildings were left without heating for many hours—and in some cases days—after attacks. Accounts from the capital also describe prolonged outages and the costly switch to generators, which are often the only way for some services and institutions to keep operating. While additional cross-border capacity will not by itself solve the problem of infrastructure being damaged by bombardment, it can give the system more flexibility during the coldest part of the season—making it easier to balance gas supplies for district heating, stabilise provisioning in areas affected by failures, and reduce the risk of shortages during peak demand. For Poland, the move is another practical element of support for Ukraine’s energy security, alongside equipment assistance and crisis-response measures taken after successive strikes. It is also worth noting that Denys Shmyhal took up the post of First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister in January 2026; his ministry has been central to emergency measures following attacks on the energy and heating networks, which is why his announcement is viewed as an operational update as much as a political signal.