Ukraine has announced the end of the transit of Russian gas from Gazprom on its soil for the beginning of January, thus cutting off the supply to Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and, outside the EU, to Moldova. The decision puts energy experts on alert as winter approaches. In Moldova, the authorities of this country even speak of a “collapse” of the pro-Russian region of Transnistria. On December 16, the country announced a state of energy emergency.
The Ukrainian decision has put energy experts on alert. This summer, then in military difficulty, the country announced its refusal to renew the transit of Russian gas through its soil after December 31. Despite the war, this Russian energy still circulated in quantity in these Ukrainian pipes built under the USSR, under a five-year contract, signed in 2019 between Ukraine and Gazprom, a partner company of the Kremlin. According to the Reuters agency, this transport brought in some 2.74 billion euros each year to Russia and between 700 and 800 million euros to kyiv, the fruit of transit taxes.
Despite the desire displayed by the EU to completely get rid of this Russian energy, these corridors delivered gas to Hungary, Austria and Slovakia or, outside the European Union (EU), to Moldova. . Russian energy still covers around two thirds of the natural gas needs of the three EU countries, according to the European Commission. Moldova, also largely dependent on Russian gas, could find itself in even greater difficulty than the member countries. But kyiv, for the moment, is not blinking. “Ukraine will not extend the transit agreement with Russia after its expiration. The strategic objective is to deprive the Kremlin of the profits with which it finances the war », decided Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal.
