European Commissioner: EU ready to completely cut off Russian gas
The share of Russian gas in the European Union’s imports has sharply decreased since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine, and the EU is prepared to fully eliminate supplies from Moscow.
Source: EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, as reported by European Pravda
Simson reported that the share of Russian gas in EU imports dropped from 45% in 2021 to 18% by June 2024, while imports from reliable partners such as Norway and the USA have increased.
Quote: "We are no longer at the mercy of Putin’s pipelines, and we keep standing by our Ukrainian partners as winter approaches," she emphasised.
At the same time, Simson highlighted that European companies have the right to use Ukrainian gas infrastructure, as there are no sanctions against this and there is interest from the Ukrainian side.
The Energy Union’s 2024 report notes that energy prices are more stable and remain significantly lower than the peak levels of the 2022 energy crisis.
Read more: Why Ukraine's decision on Russia's Lukoil is a problem but not a catastrophe
The contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine ends at the end of 2024, and Kyiv has no intentions to extend it.
Background:
- In July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is negotiating with Azerbaijan about supplying natural gas to the EU, aiming to maintain its role as a transit country.
- In mid-July, Slovakia and Hungary announced that Ukraine had halted the transit of oil from the Russian company Lukoil. The reason was sanctions imposed by Kyiv against this Russian company. Although Budapest claimed that Ukraine’s decision violated the Association Agreement, the EU did not agree.
- On 2 September, it was reported that Ukraine’s sanctions against the Russian company Lukoil, according to the European Commission, do not threaten energy flows to Hungary.
- On 9 September, Hungarian energy company Mol Nyrt. announced that it had reached an agreement to ensure the continuation of Russian oil supplies through a pipeline that runs through Ukrainian territory.
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