European Commission: EU ready for end of Russian gas transit via Ukraine
The European Commission has assured that the EU is prepared for the end of the Russian gas transit through Ukraine. It thus responded to criticism from Slovak prime minister Robert Fico.
Ukraine, which has been resisting the Russian invasion for nearly three years, will halt the transit of Russian gas at the beginning of next year. The corresponding transit contract is expiring, and Kyiv had announced well in advance that it would not extend it.
A spokeswoman of the European Commission stated on Monday evening that Europe's gas infrastructure is flexible enough to supply non-Russian gas to Central and Eastern Europe via alternative routes. “The impact of the end of the transit through Ukraine on the EU's security of supply is limited”, she stressed.
According to the Commission, it has been working with EU member states for over a year to prepare for this scenario and to guarantee alternative supplies for the affected member states. Europe's gas infrastructure has in particular been strengthened with significant import capacities for liquefied natural gas. Energy efficiency measures and the expansion of renewable energies have also enhanced the security of gas supply in recent years.
Letter of Fico
The suspension of transit via Ukraine however poses particular problems for neighbouring Slovakia. In a letter to the European Commission on Sunday, Slovak prime minister Robert Fico wrote that the “tacit acceptance of [Ukrainian president Volodymyr] Zelensky's unilateral decision” to block the transit of Russian gas is “wrong and irrational”. He warned that this could lead to “increased tensions and mutual measures”. In his view, stopping the transit of gas would cause more harm to the EU than to Russia.
On Friday, Fico also threatened that his country could stop supplying Ukraine with electricity in retaliation. Zelensky suggested that the Slovak leader's remarks were an order from the Kremlin, as Fico visited Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. This meeting earned him a great deal of criticism from other EU member states.
Natural Gas Compressor Station in Russia © BELGA PHOTO Valery Morev/ABACAPRESS.COM
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