Ukrainian Naftogaz will not extend the transit of Russian gas to Europe

The Ukrainian company “Naftogaz” will not extend the contract with “Gazprom” on the transit of Russian gas to Europe. The head of the company, Aleksey Chernyshev, stated this in an interview with the Ukrainian service of Radio Svoboda. The current transit agreement is valid until the end of 2024.

According to Chernyshev, Ukraine still continues the transit of Russian gas exclusively for the purpose of supporting the countries of the European Union that need it. However, the European Union has declared that it will completely stop consuming Russian gas by 2027, and Ukraine is “interested in supporting and stimulating it.” He said that the country is ready for early termination of the contract at any time, but in this case Europe will be left with supplies.

The head of Naftogaz also mentioned that Ukraine ranks third in Europe in terms of natural gas reserves, and intends to increase its own production in order to achieve the role of a net exporter in the coming years.

Chernyshev reported that now Ukraine does not receive payment for the transit of Russian gas. According to him, this is due to the fact that one of the two “entry points” – GIS “Sochranovka” – is located on the border of the Russian Rostov region and the Russian-occupied territory of Donbass, and “Gazprom” stopped paying for transit in this direction. Now “Naftogaz” is suing “Gazprom”.

• As “Kommersant” clarifies, “Gazprom” and “Naftogaz” concluded a five-year contract in 2019. The terms of the agreement assume that the Russian company must transit 225 billion cubic meters of gas through the territory of Ukraine for the entire period. The Ukrainian transit line is the route through which Russian gas enters the countries of Western and Central Europe.