The transit contract with the Russian company Gazprom expires at the end of 2024. Ukraine already supplies gas only because some EU countries depend on gas from Russia.
Ukraine will stop sending Russian natural gas to the West from 2025. The head of the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz, Olexiy Chernyshov, said this in an interview with the North American international broadcaster Radio Liberty. The transit contract with Russian company Gazprom will expire at the end of 2024. Ukraine would also withdraw early, especially since Gazprom was not paying for the transit as agreed, Chernyshov said.
Ukraine is already limited to transit because several European countries still depend on Russian gas. “We also want to be a reliable partner for our European partners, for the countries that need it”, stated the CEO. Ukraine has increased its own gas production. This means that next winter you will have the chance to cover your needs for the first time with your own reserves, Chernyschow said. Ukrainian media cited the Sunday interview.
The transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine continues despite Moscow’s war of aggression against the neighboring country. Recipients are mainly landlocked countries that cannot switch to liquefied natural gas (LNG). The EU’s goal is to stop importing fossil energy from Russia from 2027.
Neos see government failure
Criticism of the Austrian government now comes from the opposition. “It has been known for months that Ukraine – unsurprisingly – has serious reservations about extending a contract with war enemy Russia. We’ve been urging people to speed up the creation of alternative delivery routes for months. And what has the government been doing all these months? This calms you down, closes your eyes to reality and throws all warnings to the wind”, says Neos energy spokeswoman Karin Doppelbauer.
SPÖ energy spokesman Alois Schroll calls on the turquoise-green federal government to develop a global strategy for the medium-term supply of non-Russian gas – and asks the rhetorical question: “How does the Energy Minister imagine a 100 percent supply of non-Russian gas?Russian gas in the future, if with “A coup would cause about 70 percent of the gas flow to disappear?”
As a consequence of the Ukrainian announcement, the Lower Austrian FPÖ intends to focus more on domestic gas production. Austria must act quickly, said the chairman of the liberal club in Lower Austria’s state parliament, Reinhard Teufel. “The FPÖ NÖ sees national natural gas production as an opportunity to once again guarantee affordable and, above all, independent energy for its own population”, which locates a “gas treasure” in the Weinviertel. (APA/Ag.)