Zelensky calls Moscow’s biggest defeat
1 January 19:30
Ukraine’s refusal to transit Russian gas through its territory is one of Moscow’s biggest defeats. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, January 1, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
According to him, turning energy into a weapon and cynical energy blackmail of partners is what deprived Russia of its most attractive and geographically accessible market.
“When Putin (President of the Russian Federation – ed.) was given power in Russia more than 25 years ago, the annual gas pumping through Ukraine to Europe was 130 billion cubic meters. Today, the transit of Russian gas is 0. This is one of Moscow’s biggest defeats,” Zelenskyy said.
The President of Ukraine clarified that the current task for our country is to support Moldova in the period of energy transformation.
“We also have to withstand the hysteria of some European politicians who prefer mafia schemes with Moscow to transparent energy policy,” Zelenskyy added.
The Ukrainian leader expressed hope for an increase in the supply of American gas to Europe, as the winner of the US presidential election, Donald Trump, has already said. According to Zelenskyy, cooperation and maximum offers from market partners will make energy prices more comfortable. And the more gas there is on the market from Europe’s true partners, the sooner the last negative consequences of Europe’s energy dependence on Russia will be overcome.
Ukraine has stopped transporting Russian gas: what is known
On the morning of January 1, Ukraine stopped transiting Russian gas. The gas transportation system is operating in a non-transit mode.
According to Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, Ukraine informed its international partners, including the European Commission, in a timely manner and in accordance with the established procedure, about the completion of the agreement on gas transit from Russia.
Meanwhile, the unrecognized Transnistria has already suffered from the cessation of gas transit from Russia. There, the Moldavian state power plant switched from gas to coal to generate electricity. Local authorities declared a state of emergency.
However, this did not completely resolve the situation. Therefore, heating and hot water were cut off in the region. At the same time, gas is only available for cooking in high-rise buildings until the pressure in the network drops to a critical level.
Meanwhile, the European Commission reported that the termination of Russian gas transit through Ukraine on January 1 is an expected situation, and the European Union is ready for it.
“The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to ensure the supply of non-Russian gas to Central and Eastern Europe via alternative routes. Since 2022, it has been strengthened by new significant LNG (liquefied natural gas) import capacities,” the commentary reads.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficodisagreed with this position. In his opinion, the European Union will allegedly “suffer” if Russian gas transit through Ukraine is stopped. According to the head of the Slovak government, in 2025 it will continue its two-track policy, which will be oriented toward all sides of the world, as well as respect international law and not interfere in the internal affairs of others.
