EU Prepares for Halt of Russian Gas Transit via Ukraine Territory

EU member states still consuming Russian gas have one year to prepare for changes in the market and reduce the volumes of Russian gas consumption, as the contract for transit through Ukrainian territory is soon to expire. EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson announced this in Brussels during a press conference following the EU Energy Council.

"I informed the ministers and gave them a clear picture of the gas supply routes when the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine ends. This will happen exactly in a year. We need to be prepared for this, and we provide member countries affected by this development. There is still quite a long time to prepare for what will happen," said Simson.

She added that the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine, created by the efforts of the European Commission and the Energy Community of the EU, has already accumulated a sum of 400 million euros and will help Ukraine overcome the second consecutive difficult winter under Russian aggression.

"Ukraine remains a top priority and focus in my work, especially now, after the important decision of the European Council last week to open negotiations on its accession to the EU. Thank you for the opportunity to talk with Minister Herman Halushchenko, who informed us about the energy situation in Ukraine in terms of winter and the heating season," said the EU Commissioner.

As is customary during the December EU Council, ministers reviewed the state of energy security and concluded that Europe is well-prepared for winter: gas levels in storage are very high for this time of year, and gas prices are at their lowest since the beginning of the conflict.

Kadri Simson noted that the EU is ending the current year on a positive note, even though significant challenges remain for EU countries for the second consecutive time after Russia invaded Ukraine.

She emphasized that the European Commission is closely monitoring the specific situation with the import of Russian liquefied natural gas. In particular, following the technical proposals of the European Commission, the Council of Ministers adopted a regulatory package that allows each member country to limit the import of pipeline and liquefied gas from Russia for its own gas networks based on existing assessments of supply security. This approach provides member countries with a path for proportional and targeted reduction of Russian gas imports.