Russia’s natural gas exports to Europe through Ukraine have stopped. The halt follows Ukraine’s refusal to renew a five-year transit deal that expired on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko confirmed the suspension. “We stopped the transit of Russian gas. This is a historic event,” he stated. He added that Russia will suffer financial losses as Europe moves away from Russian gas.
Gazprom Halts Supplies
Gazprom, Russia’s energy giant, announced the suspension at 8 a.m. Moscow time (05:00 GMT). It cited Ukraine’s refusal to renew the transit deal.
In a Telegram statement, Gazprom said, “Due to Ukraine’s repeated refusal, Gazprom has no technical or legal ability to supply gas via Ukraine from January 1, 2025.”
The pipeline through Ukraine supplied Russian gas to several European countries, including Slovakia, Moldova, and Hungary.
EU Downplays Impact
The European Commission downplayed the move’s impact. It stated that preparations had been underway for over a year to ensure the bloc could manage without Russian gas via Ukraine.
“The EU has been preparing for this scenario and has reduced reliance on Russian gas,” the Commission told AFP.
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Slovakian PM Warns of Drastic Impact
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized the halt. He warned it would hurt the EU more than Russia.
“Halting gas transit via Ukraine will drastically impact us all in the EU but not Russia,” Fico said in a video message on Facebook.
Fico, a critic of EU support for Ukraine, had met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. He anticipated the suspension and expressed concerns about its fallout.
European Energy at a Crossroads
The suspension marks a turning point in Europe’s energy strategy. The EU has worked to reduce dependency on Russian gas since the conflict in Ukraine began. The bloc has diversified energy sources and increased liquefied natural gas imports.
However, the latest halt underscores the challenges of balancing energy needs and political decisions.
The stoppage is expected to cause shifts in energy markets as countries in Europe adapt to the loss of Russian supplies through Ukraine.
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