The European Commission has confirmed that it is not involved in any discussions regarding the extension of the contract that allows Russian gas to transit through Ukraine, a deal set to expire at the end of this month.
A spokesperson for the Commission stated, “The Commission has no interest in the continuation of Russian gas transit via Ukraine,” in emailed responses to Reuters.
The spokesperson added, “The Commission does not support any discussions on the contract extension nor other solutions to maintain transit flows and has not been involved in any kind of negotiations on this.”
In response, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal clarified that Ukraine is open to discussions on allowing gas transit through its territory to Western Europe but firmly ruled out renewing the current agreement with Russia.
“To this effect, if the European Commission officially approaches Ukraine about the transit of any gas other than Russian, we naturally will discuss it and are ready to reach an appropriate agreement,” Shmyhal said.
He further emphasized, “I stressed that Ukraine’s agreement with Russia on gas transit comes to an end on January 1, 2025, and will not be extended.”
Shmyhal also noted that substantial efforts had already been made with EU countries to ensure stable gas supplies and prevent energy from being used as a weapon.
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