The EU and Ukraine are ready to stop transit of Russian gas, and European gas prices are as well. Fico is not
23 December 17:35
The European Union is ready to stop the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine on January 1. A spokesman for the European Commission said this in a commentary to Ukrinform, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
The termination of gas supplies through Ukraine on January 1 was called an “expected event”, and the negative impact of the end of transit on EU security was defined as “limited”.
“The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to ensure the supply of non-Russian gas to Central and Eastern Europe through alternative routes,” the EU spokesman emphasized.
But reassuring statements by European officials do not calm prices. According to Bloomberg, European natural gas prices have been rising for several days.
On Monday, prices rose by 1.6% after a 7% jump last week. This comes after political leaders signaled that continued gas supplies through Ukraine look increasingly unlikely after December 31.
What is Ukraine’s position on Russian gas transit?
At a press conference in Brussels on December 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not plan to continue transiting Russian gas.
“We will not give the opportunity to make additional money on our blood. Any country in the world that can get something cheap from Russia will eventually – one hundred percent, or in a month, or in a year – be dependent on Russia. This is their policy. Therefore, we will not transit Russian gas,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.
Speaking about a possible exchange, when Azerbaijan transits its gas and receives Russian gas in return, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready to consider only gas transit that comes from another country and does not allow Moscow to make a profit. The Ukrainian president also explained this position to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who met with Putin in Moscow on Sunday. According to Fico, Putin confirmed that Russia is ready to continue supplying gas to the West through Ukraine, but it will be “practically impossible” after January 1, given Kyiv’s position.
Before that, Robert Fico also threatened Ukraine with consequences, saying that “Ukraine has no right to harm the economic and national interests of a particular EU member state” and that if gas transit is stopped, Slovakia will consider possible measures against Kyiv.
How the President of Ukraine reacted to Fico’s meeting with Putin
In his post on the social media platform X, Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew attention to the fact that after the meeting in Moscow, Fico and Putin did not make joint statements or answer questions from the media.
“They simply cannot say anything publicly about what they discussed at the meeting. They are afraid of the public reaction. Moscow provides significant discounts for Fico, but Slovakia pays for them. Such discounts are not free – Russia is paid for them with sovereignty or shadow schemes. This should be of interest to Slovak law enforcement agencies and special services,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.
The Head of State stated that the details of such funding had been disclosed during a recent meeting of European leaders in Brussels.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “the leaders noted that Mr. Fico does not want to participate in joint European work on energy independence or look for a replacement for Russian gas, but rather on the contrary – he wants to help Russia push American gas and energy resources of other partners out of Europe, which means that he wants to help Putin earn money to finance the war and weaken Europe.”
