“Historic event”: Ukraine halts Russian gas flow to Europe

Ukraine stopped transporting Russian natural gas through its territory as of 7:00 a.m on 1 January 2025, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy. The ministry cited “national security interests” as the primary reason for the cessation.

This development follows Ukraine’s decision not to renew a five-year transit agreement with Russia’s Gazprom, which had been in place since 2019. The expiration of this deal is seen as a response to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would not allow Russia to profit from its resources amid ongoing hostilities.

This decision is expected to affect several EU nations, particularly Slovakia and Austria, which have historically relied heavily on this route for their gas supplies. Cutting Russian gas transit could lead to price spikes and potential shortages.However, the EU has been preparing for this eventuality by diversifying its energy sources and increasing capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from other regions such as Qatar and the United States.

“This is a historic event. Russia is losing markets and will suffer financial losses,” said Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

He linked the decision to the European Union’s RePower EU initiative, which aims to reduce dependency on Russian energy resources.

According to the energy ministry, Ukraine’s gas transportation infrastructure has been technically prepared for zero-transit operations while maintaining reliable supply to domestic consumers.

The decision has created diplomatic tension with Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Kyiv to advocate for extending the transit agreement and threatened to cut electricity supplies to Ukraine if the transit wasn’t restored. These supplies have been crucial for Ukraine during power shortages caused by Russian attacks.

Fico, known for his pro-Russian stance, criticized Ukraine’s move as a costly political gesture that would negatively impact the European Union.

On 22 December, Slovak Prime Minister also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the continuation of Russian gas supplies to Slovakia.

Ukrainian energy experts have downplayed Fico’s threat to halt electricity supplies, asserting that Ukraine can compensate for any loss of Slovak electricity imports through existing connections with Poland, Hungary, and Romania, ensuring minimal impact on its power grid.

Despite Fico’s warning of a “serious conflict” over the issue, Ukrainian energy sector officials maintain that potential Slovak electricity cuts would not significantly impact Ukraine’s energy security.

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