Gazprom ends gas transit to E.U. through Ukraine
Manage episode 458928441 series 3381925
Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine stopped at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time on January 1, following the expiration of the transit contract, Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom announced. The company stated that it no longer had the “technical or legal capacity” to continue deliveries.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry confirmed the halt, describing it as a “historic event.” Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said, “Russia is losing markets and will suffer financial losses. Europe has already decided to reject Russian gas, and the E.U.’s REPowerEU initiative aligns with what Ukraine has done today.”
The stoppage has also cut off gas supplies to consumers in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria, leaving residential buildings without heating or hot water. Hospitals and social institutions remain unaffected. It’s unclear when supplies will resume from other sources.
The now-expired contract was signed in late 2019. In its first year, Gazprom transported 56 billion cubic meters of gas through Ukraine, decreasing to 42 billion in the second year. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Europe’s push to reduce reliance on Russian gas, transit volumes dropped to 19 billion cubic meters in 2022 and 14 billion in 2023. Before the cutoff, Russian gas was still being supplied to just three E.U. countries: Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary. Ukraine had long made clear that it would not renew the agreement.
attempts to keep gas flowing
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