| Ukraine has announced that it will no longer allow the transit of Russian gas through its territory. (Source: Reuters) |
Meanwhile, Slovakia and Hungary, two countries still dependent on cheap gas from Russia’s Gazprom, face a tough stance from President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The deadline for reaching an agreement on the continued transit of gas from Russia to Europe via Ukraine is approaching. The current agreement between Moscow and kyiv will expire on December 31, 12.
Without a solution, billions of cubic meters of gas could be blocked, putting the region at risk of energy shortages in winter.
Mr. Zelensky announced that he would not allow Russian gas to continue to pass through the country’s territory. It is, however, ready to consider transporting gas from other countries if the European Union (EU) requests it.
At the same time, Slovakia threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine if the gas route was blocked.
Prime Minister Fico also said that stopping gas transit through kyiv would cause the European Union (EU) additional energy costs of around 120 billion euros over the next two years.
The stoppage of gas transit not only affects Europe but also directly threatens kyiv.
According to Mr. Christian Egenhofer, senior researcher at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), continued gas transit through Ukraine could be a “lifeline” for Mr. Zelensky. This helps protect the country’s critical energy infrastructure and avoid greater losses in the short term.
Faced with the risk of not reaching an agreement, European countries are looking for alternative solutions.
Specifically, Slovakia negotiated with Azerbaijan’s national oil company – Socar – to import gas from Azerbaijan under a swap deal with Gazprom.
Hungary has proposed moving gas trade to the Russia-Ukraine border, where gas would be sold directly to European companies.
