Europe will no longer receive Russian gas through Ukraine. Naftogaz will close the tap next year
Naftogaz will not renew the contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe on Ukrainian territory, which is due to expire in 2024, the Chairman of the Management Board, Alexey Chernyshev, said in an interview quoted by Ukrainian media, the EFE agency reports.
"Ukraine maintains the transit of Russian gas exclusively in order to support our European colleagues," Chernyshev said to justify the fact that the transit has not been interrupted yet, despite the war, according to Agerpres.
However, once the contract with the Russian company Gazprom expires at the end of 2024, Naftogaz has "no intention and no initiative" to extend it, the Ukrainian official said, stressing that the European Union has set its goal to completely stop using Russian gas by 2027.
On the other hand, Chernyshev pointed out that Ukraine ranks third in Europe in terms of gas reserves and has "very ambitious plans" to increase production and to reduce its own consumption, to become in the coming years "a net exporter".
Naftogaz denounced Gazprom at the International Court of Arbitration a year ago, claiming that the Russian giant is paying less than stipulated in the contract, after unilaterally reducing the volumes of gas it transports through Ukrainian territory.
