Russian gas stopped flowing into EU member states via Ukraine. Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy giant, confirmed today that gas exports to Europe through Ukraine have stopped as of 08:00 Moscow time (07:00 Greece time), following the expiration of the transit agreement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not permit Russia to profit from “blood money” to fund its war, while Poland said that the cut off was “another victory against Moscow”
The European Commission said the EU had prepared for the change and most states could cope. Moldova, which is not in the EU, is already suffering shortages.
Despite this development, Russia continues to export gas via the TurkStream pipeline, which runs under the Black Sea, providing an alternative route to European markets.
Moscow has transported gas to Europe through Ukraine since 1991.
While immediate effects are light, the strategic and symbolic impact for the whole of Europe is enormous.
The EU has significantly reduced imports Russian gas imports since Russia it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a number of eastern member states still depend largely on the supplies, making Russia about €5bn ($5.2bn; £4.2bn) a year.
Several EU members, including Slovakia and Austria, continued to import significant amounts of gas from Russia.
In response to the military conflict in Ukraine that erupted in 2022, the European Union has ramped up efforts to reduce its dependency on Russian energy, seeking alternative sources to bolster energy security.
The transit agreement, which had a duration of five years, was not renewed due to ongoing hostilities. Ukraine has repeatedly stated it would not extend the contract while the war persists.
source BBC
