The transit of Russian gas through Ukraine must stop on December 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky having ruled out renewing his contract with the Russian supplier Gazprom in 2025. Three days before the deadline, Hungary and Slovakia , close to Moscow, are increasing their pressure on Ukraine to maintain this supply route. While Moldova struggles to find alternatives.
Hungary, even though it now receives almost all its Russian gas via another route, the Turkstream gas pipeline across the Black Sea, does not want to give up the last Russian cubic meters passing through Ukraine. Its Prime Minister Victor Orban proclaims that kyiv would violate the free trade agreement with the EU by refusing to deliver gas purchased in Russia by Hungary, because according to him, it would become Hungarian gas.
Slovakia, still in a long-term contract with Gazprom, has also been particularly active in recent days. Prime Minister Robert Fico went to Moscow after an altercation with the Ukrainian president, refused to allow kyiv to deliver non-Russian gas, and threatened to stop Slovak electricity exports to Ukraine.
Also readSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico received by Vladimir Putin to talk about Russian gas
Read more on RFI
Belgium