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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on January 1 that the end of Russian gas supplies to Europe, through a pipeline that passes through Ukrainian soil, is a loss for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"When Putin became president of Russia more than 25 years ago, the amount of natural gas that passed through Ukraine to Europe was more than 130 billion cubic meters per year. Now it's zero," Zelensky said on X - the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"This is one of Moscow's biggest losses. As a result of Russia's use of energy as a weapon and blackmailing of its partners, Moscow has lost one of the most profitable and geographically accessible markets," he said.
Zelensky's comments came after Russian state-owned giant Gazprom said it had suspended gas supplies to Europe through a pipeline that runs through Ukraine after Kiev refused to continue a contract signed before Moscow launched its war in Ukraine in February. of the year 2022.
This means that Ukraine will lose 800 million dollars a year that it secured from transit fees.
Gazprom, on the other hand, will lose almost 5 billion dollars, in the absence of gas sales.
Zelensky said that most European states have adapted to the changes, but mentioned that Ukraine and its allies should support Moldova in the period of energy transformation.
Moldova is still partially dependent on Russian gas.
Zelensky has said that Ukraine hopes to increase US gas supplies to Europe, and that US President-elect Donald Trump has already mentioned this possibility.
"The more gas accessible to the markets for Europe's true partners, the faster the dependence on Russia will be eliminated," he said.
This decision by Gazprom, made public on January 1 through a post on Telegram, is not expected to cause major problems for European consumers, due to their long-term efforts to avoid dependence on Russian gas.
Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and several Balkan countries have continued to buy Russian gas through Ukraine – albeit in reduced quantities – even after the war began.
Many European countries have turned to alternative sources, including buying liquefied natural gas from the United States, Qatar and Norway.
The war in Ukraine started on February 24, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.
The West has responded to Russia, hitting the economy of this country with harsh sanctions.
As a result of the war, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced from their homes./ REL
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