On December 31, Ukraine’s transit agreement with Russia’s Gazprom expires. Ukrainian officials announced that they do not plan to make a new agreement.
Ukraine is preparing to stop gas transit from Russia to Europe as of January 1, 2025. Energy Minister German Galushchenko announced during the German-Ukrainian business forum in Berlin the implementation of measures to ensure the stability of its gas transport system (GTS). Ukrinform news agency reports this.
“Our position is quite clear: We are preparing for zero crossing from January 1. And we’ve been doing this (preparing) for a long time, but this year we’ve done various stress tests for our gas system on what it’s going to be like. It functions with zero crossing”, Galushenko said.
The contract signed between Ukrainian NJSC Naftogaz and Russian Gazprom in 2019 expires this year. Ukraine has made it clear that it will not make a new agreement.
Transit of Russian gas through Ukraine: what is known
The transit of Russian gas through Ukraine began in the 1960s with the commissioning of the gas transmission system, which became an important route for the supply of natural gas from Russia to Europe. Ukraine has remained the main transit country for Russian gas to European countries for more than 50 years.
In the first two decades after Ukraine declared independence, more than 100 billion cubic meters of gas were pumped annually through the country’s gas transportation system. In the 1990s, transit volumes reached historic highs, but after the winter “gas war” between Naftogaz and Gazprom in 2009, these volumes began to gradually decline.
After 2019, transit was carried out under a 5-year contract providing a minimum guaranteed gas pumping volume. Gazprom has started to gradually reduce transit volumes from 2022.
On October 7, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said at a joint press conference with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico that Ukraine’s transit agreement with Russia will not be renewed after it expires.
Let us recall that energy expert Yuri Korolchuk said on July 29 that refusing the transit of Russian gas could lead to an increase in the gas distribution price, and problems could occur in the three regions due to pressure on the pipes.
Focus wrote about what stopping Russian natural gas transit would mean for Ukraine.
Source: Focus
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