Ukraine cuts off Russian gas, shifts power dynamics in Europe
By halting the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, Kyiv has deprived Vladimir Putin of the ability to influence Europe and use energy as a weapon, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Thursday.
Russian gas no longer flows through the "Friendship" pipeline via Ukraine to Central and Southern European countries. On January 1, as previously announced, Kyiv blocked the transit, forcing the Russians to shut off the valve. This situation significantly complicates the economic conditions for Slovakia and Hungary, which had maintained a high level of gas imports from Russia.
Kyiv is confident. "We took it away from Putin"
The authorities in Kyiv are convinced of the correctness of this decision. "Ukraine has cut off more than just Russian gas transit. We have cut off some of Putin’s last remaining leverage over Europe and his use of energy as a weapon. Europe and the world will be safer without Russian gas, oil, and other dependencies, as well as without Russia itself," Sybiha wrote on platform X.
Halting the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine since Wednesday is "one of Moscow's biggest defeats. [...] As a result of Russia weaponizing energy and resorting to cynical blackmail of partners, Moscow lost one of the most profitable and geographically accessible markets," Zelensky highlighted in a post on platform X.
He noted that 25 years ago, when Vladimir Putin took over the duties of the president of Russia, the annual transit of gas through Ukraine to Europe was over 4,590 billion cubic feet. "Today, it equals 0," the leader emphasized.
At the end of December, Vladimir Putin said at a conference summarizing the year that he does not regret the fate of the European countries that still sourced Russian gas. "This contract will no longer exist, that is clear. But it's good – we will survive, Gazprom will survive," Putin briefly concluded.
The Russian state-owned company Gazprom confirmed on January 1 that it had stopped exporting gas to Europe through Ukraine, when the five-year transit agreement for this resource expired.
