Putin lost energy leverage over Europe, says Ukraine FM

Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, praised Kyiv’s decision to cut off Russian gas transit via Ukraine to Europe.

“Ukraine has cut off more than just Russian gas transit. We have cut off some of Putin’s last remaining leverage over Europe and his use of energy as a weapon. Europe and the world will be safer without Russian gas, oil, and other dependencies, as well as without Russia itself,” he tweeted.

The tweet comes after Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy stopped transporting natural gas through its territory at 7:00 a.m. on 1 January 2025.

“This is a historic event. Russia is losing markets and will suffer financial losses,” said Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, adding that “national security interests” are driving this decision.

The move is slated to affect Russian gas-dependent countries like Slovakia and Austria, which have historically relied heavily on this route for their gas supplies. Due to potential shortages and price spikes, the EU had diversified its energy sources, increasing capacity for liquefied natural gas imports from Qatar and the United States.

Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to ” drill, drill, drill ” to significantly boost American energy production.