MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s power big Gazprom (MCX:) mentioned on Wednesday that fuel exports through Ukraine to Europe had been halted from 08:00 Moscow time (0500 GMT) because the transit deal has expired.
The shutdown of Russia’s oldest fuel path to Europe ends a decade of fraught relations sparked by Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014.
Russia nonetheless exports fuel through the TurkStream pipeline on the mattress of the Black Sea.
The European Union redoubled its efforts to cut back its dependence on Russian power after the outbreak of the navy battle in Ukraine in 2022 by searching for different sources.
The five-year fuel transit deal between Russia and Ukraine expired in early hours of Jan. 1, 2025, whereas Kyiv has repeatedly mentioned it might not lengthen the settlement amid the conflict.
“As a result of repeated and clearly expressed refusal of the Ukrainian aspect to resume these agreements, Gazprom was disadvantaged of the technical and authorized skill to produce fuel for transit via the territory of Ukraine from January 1, 2025,” Gazprom mentioned in an announcement on the Telegram messaging app.
“Ranging from 08:00 Moscow time, the provision of Russian fuel for its transportation via the territory of Ukraine just isn’t carried out.”