Ukraine’s decision to show off the taps allowing Russian gas to flow through its territory to Europe has already caused problems in the east of the continent: Moldova declared a state of emergency and Slovakia threatened Kiev with retaliation.
Under a five-year agreement signed in 2019, Ukraine allowed Russia to send gas to Europe through its territory.
However, this agreement will expire in the brand new yr, and Kiev is not going to need to extend it consequently of Moscow’s invasion.
While Europe has struggled to turn out to be independent from Russian gas since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, several Eastern European countries still meet most of their energy needs from Moscow.
This is a everlasting source of income for the Kremlin, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky desires to dry up.
Almost one third of Russian gas sold to Europe is transported through Kiev, said Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, head of the Energy Center of the Jacques Delors Institute.
The rest is transported by pipeline under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary or by transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
However, Tuesday’s data from Ukrainian operator OGTSU showed that supplies through the one entry point of Russian gas into Ukraine have fallen to zero since January 1, 2025.
The most important situation is in Moldova, which borders Ukraine and has to fight at home against Russian-backed separatists.
The tiny nation had already imposed a 60-day state of emergency earlier this month in anticipation of expected spending cuts by Kiev.
Then on Saturday, Russia’s Gazprom announced it too would suspend gas deliveries over the debt dispute, prompting furious accusations from Moldova’s prime minister of “oppressive tactics.”
In the capital Chisinau, where most Christmas light displays might be turned off, some residents have expressed concerns about what’s going to occur next.
“It’s terrible, nobody knows what’s going to occur. I purchased some candles and a generator,” Cristina, a 21-year-old student who did not want to give her surname, told AFP.
From the beginning of the invasion, Gazprom limited supplies to Moldova, and the Russian company only supplied the unrecognized separatist Transnistria.
However, power plants in the Moscow-backed region still supply about two-thirds of the electricity used across the country.
“The Kremlin has once again resorted to energy blackmail to influence the 2025 parliamentary elections and undermine our European path,” said the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu.
The pro-European politician was re-elected in November after a vote marred by accusations of Russian interference.
Sandu offered humanitarian aid to residents of separatist Transnistria, who would otherwise be left without heating in the middle of winter.
But local authorities refused, said Alexandru Flenchea, a former government official and conflict resolution expert specializing in the region.
In Russia’s destabilization strategy, “Transnistria is nothing greater than collateral damage,” Flenchea argued.
Phuc-Vinh agreed, accusing Putin of using gas as a “geopolitical weapon” to “undermine the region, stoke public resentment to influence support for Ukraine and sow seeds of discord across Europe.”
In response, the Moldovan government introduced drastic measures to reduce energy consumption, in particular restrictions on lighting in public buildings and the use of elevators.
It also intends to make up for the shortfall by purchasing electricity from neighboring Romania.
With 14 billion cubic meters transported annually through Ukraine, representing just five percent of the European Union’s total gas imports, the bloc said it was “prepared” for supply cuts.
In a report published in mid-December, the EU assessed the effects as limited.
“The commission… has been working specifically for over a yr to organize a scenario in which Russian gas is not going to be transmitted through Ukraine,” she told AFP on Tuesday.
It said the bloc’s gas infrastructure had been strengthened over the past few years and pointed to work to make “alternative supplies” available to affected countries.
Austria’s December decision to terminate its long-term contract with Gazprom applies only to Slovakia.
Slovak leader Robert Fico – one of the Kremlin’s few allies in the EU – sharply criticized Kiev’s decision and in response traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin.
“Accepting the unilateral decision of the President of Ukraine is completely irrational and wrong,” Fico appealed in a letter to Brussels, condemning the “serious financial consequences in a complicated economic period.”
In response, the Slovak Prime Minister threatened to cut off the supply of electricity, which Ukraine so desperately needs, as Kiev’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by almost three years of systematic Russian bombing.
On the other hand, neighboring Hungary – which, like Slovakia, has remained friendly to Moscow – receives most of the Russian gas it imports via a pipeline through the Black Sea.
As a result, Ukraine’s decision will largely have no impact on Budapest.
AFP
AFP
