Russia ends gas transit via Ukraine, impacts European supply
On Wednesday, the Russian company Gazprom announced that it has halted gas exports to Europe through Ukraine, starting at 8 a.m. Moscow time (10 p.m. Eastern Time), as the transit agreement for this resource has expired.
Russia continues to export gas through the Turkish Stream pipeline, which runs beneath the Black Sea.
On Wednesday morning, the 5-year agreement between Moscow and Kyiv for gas transit through Ukraine expired. "Due to the repeated and explicit refusal of the Ukrainian side to extend these agreements, Gazprom was deprived of the technical and legal opportunity to supply gas for transit through the territory of Ukraine from January 1, 2025," Gazprom declared.
Russia halts gas exports through Ukraine
Ukraine reported on Wednesday that the transit of Russian gas had been suspended due to national security concerns. Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko described the suspension as a significant and historic development.
Zelensky: Russia cannot make profits
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, justifying the decision to halt the transit, said that he does not want Russia to continue earning billions at the expense of Ukrainian citizens.
After the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine broke out, the European Union made efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy sources by seeking alternatives.
The halt of gas transit through Ukraine could impact Slovakia, which used to purchase Russian resources transported through Ukrainian territory. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened Ukraine on Friday by cutting off electricity supplies if Kyiv fulfilled its promise and stopped Russian gas transit to his country after the New Year.
