Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not want to extend the gas contract with Russia, so Moscow does not make money in Ukraine.
Points of attention
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that the purpose of this decision is to prevent Russia from making money from Ukraine.
- Ukraine is working on an agreement on the supply of Azerbaijani gas to the EU in order to preserve the role of a transit country.
- Making a decision to replace gas with the help of Azerbaijani supplies will contribute to the energy security not only of Ukraine, but also of Western partners in the region.
Ukraine will not renew the gas contract with Russia
Ukraine is negotiating the natural gas supply from Azerbaijan to the European Union to maintain the role of a transit country and help its Western neighbours with energy security issues. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reported about it.
Alternative steps are now being considered, how we can use the pipeline with another gas supplier, another country. Negotiations are underway.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
He stated that Ukraine does not want to extend the gas contract with the Russian Federation so that Russia does not make money in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy clarified that government members are working on the issue of possible transit of Azerbaijani gas to the EU, and added that the agreement to replace Russian gas with Azerbaijani supplies is "one of the proposals" currently being discussed.
US overtook Russia in supplying gas to Europe
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow cut pipeline gas supplies to Europe and the region increased its LNG imports, with the US as the main supplier.
In September 2022, the US overtook Russia as the supplier of gas to Europe, and from 2023 it will account for about a fifth of supplies.
In mid-2022, Russia stopped supplying gas through pipelines connecting it to northwestern Europe, but continues to supply it through Ukraine and Turkey.
In May, supply volumes were affected by one-off factors, including disruptions at a significant US LNG exporter. In June, Russia sent more gas through Turkey ahead of planned repairs.
