Falcon powers – European officials are holding discussions to maintain the flow of gas from Russia to Europe through Ukraine after the gas transit contract between the Russian Gazprom and Kyiv expires at the end of this year.
While the European Union is trying to wean itself off Russian gas, some European countries continue to receive Russian natural gas through pipelines that pass through Ukrainian territory. The gas transit contract between Russia and Ukraine is set to expire at the end of this year.
Despite the military confrontation in Ukraine, Gazprom has continued to fulfill its obligations under the contract with the Ukrainian company Naftogaz, delivering around 15 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Austria and Slovakia.
According to a Bloomberg report, there are “early stage” discussions underway to continue the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov stated, “I am doing my utmost to find a solution so that the gas transit system in Ukraine continues to operate because it is a major and important asset in Ukraine.”
However, Chernyshov excluded the extension of the contract with Russia in its current form, despite Kyiv’s desire to maintain the revenues from gas transit.
This comes as Moscow and Ankara are currently studying a project to establish a Russian gas hub in Turkey, with the aim of exporting gas to European countries.
