The European Commission confirms that Europe is ready to stop Russian gas transit through Ukraine from 1 January 2025. At the same time, the EU has not commented on Slovak Prime Minister Fico's visit to Putin.
This was announced by a spokesman for the European Commission, Ukrinform reports.
‘The cessation of gas flow through Ukraine from 1 January is an expected event, and the EU is ready for it,’ the European Commission said.
The spokesperson reminded that the European Commission, in coordination with the member states, had been working for more than a year to prepare for a scenario where there would be no Russian gas coming through Ukraine from 1 January 2025 and to provide alternative gas supply routes for member states that could be affected by such a transit interruption.
‘The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to ensure that non-Russian gas supplies to Central and Eastern Europe can be delivered via alternative routes. Since 2022, it has been significantly strengthened by new LNG import capacities,’ the European Commission spokesperson said.
In addition, he said, the security of gas supplies to the EU has been significantly improved over the past few years thanks to measures to ensure efficient use of energy and the development of renewable energy sources.
‘The negative impact of the end of (gas) transit through Ukraine on the security of EU supply is limited,’ the European Commissioner added.
At the same time, he noted that the European Commission is not commenting on Prime Minister Fico's visit to Moscow at this time.