Exports of Russian natural gas to several European countries through Ukraine were halted.
Kyiv refused to renew the transit agreement that expired on Wednesday.
Ukraine had previously warned that it would not renew this five-year transit agreement due to the ongoing military conflicts.
We have stopped the transit of Russian gas. This is a historical event. Russia is losing its markets and suffering financial damage. Europe has already decided to abandon Russian gas, said Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko in his statement.
Russia’s “Gazprom” company announced that the export of gas to Europe was halted starting from 8:00 Moscow time (05:00 GMT) due to the expiration of the transit agreement.
Due to the Ukrainian side’s categorical refusal to renew these agreements, from January 1st, “Gazprom” has been deprived of the technical and legal capability to transit through Ukraine, according to “Gazprom”'s statement on Telegram.
Ukraine used to deliver Russian gas through its territory to several European countries such as Slovakia, Moldova, and Hungary.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a politician who has critiqued the European Union's support for Kyiv, knew in advance about the cessation of the gas flow last week during his visit to Moscow where he met with Putin.
On Friday, the Fico government considered halting the supply of electricity reserves to Ukraine as a measure against it.
“Accepting Ukraine President's unilateral decision is absolutely irrational and wrong,” said Fico in a letter to Brussels. He warned that this decision would cause great financial harm in a difficult economic situation.
The situation is most severe for Moldova, bordering Ukraine, as it faces groups supported by Russia on domestic issues. Anticipating the halt of Ukraine's gas transit, Moldova had previously declared a 60-day state of emergency.
Following the outbreak of military conflicts in Ukraine in 2022, the European Union had begun seeking alternative sources to reduce dependence on Russian energy.
Russia continues to export gas through the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea.
Hungary, which maintains good relations with Moscow like Slovakia, receives most of its Russian gas through the Black Sea pipeline, thus Ukraine's decision hardly affects it.
