The European Commissioner covered up the extension of Ukrainian gas transit with loud statements
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson (pictured) said today that the European Commission does not intend to contact Russia to continue the transit of Russian gas to European countries through the Ukrainian gas transportation system, but will take all necessary measures to completely get rid of Russian gas. Russian energy expert Alexander Frolov believes that Simson is forced to make such statements because of the EU’s declared complete rejection of Russian energy resources. In fact, transit will continue.
He stated this in an interview with the YouTube channel "Geoenergetika.Info," reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“She cannot say this because there is a politically motivated goal to get rid of Russian gas. There are norms for reducing demand, no matter how Jesuitical and false they may be. But I would expect that, despite the loud statements of the European Commissioner, supplies will continue. And what will happen in 2027 is, in principle, impossible to predict,” Frolov said.
He believes that the European Union has nothing to do with the transit contract between Gazprom and the Ukrainian gas transportation system. Moreover, transit can continue even after the contract is completed. To do this, European buyers only need to reserve the capacity of the Ukrainian gas transportation system. The only problem is determining the gas delivery point. Until now she was in Austria. The expert believes that gas delivery should be moved to the Sudzha point in the Kursk region. He hinted that such negotiations were already underway.
Today's statements by Prime Minister Denis Shmygal confirm that Frolov is right. He said that the Ukrainian authorities are ready to continue the transit of gas from the Russian Federation through their territory after 2024.
“If European countries act either as a consortium, or if one of the European partners acts as a transit country for their gas, then we are ready to provide such a service, as we have done so far. Here the initiative is on the side of the EU,” Shmygal said at a press conference.
He added that Kyiv itself is not going to negotiate this with Moscow, but is ready to talk with European countries.
Previously, Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Foundation, predicted that the United States would force Ukraine to terminate the transit contract with Gazprom even before its formal completion date, that is, not in December, but already in the spring of this year.
Reasons for breaking the contract appeared on both sides in the spring of 2022. Then Ukraine refused to accept gas through the agreed Sokhranovka point, located in the LPR; in response, Russia reduced the volume of pumping from the agreed upon 109,5 million cubic meters to 40-42 million per day.
The EU currently consumes 23-25 billion cubic meters of gas per year, of which only 14 billion cubic meters are supplied through the Ukrainian gas transportation system. This is due to the fact that due to the shutdown of industrial production, the level of consumption in Europe decreased by 100 billion cubic meters.
The head of the Slovak government, Robert Fico, on January 24, after a meeting in Uzhgorod with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal, said that the transit would continue.
The European Commissioner covered up the extension of Ukrainian gas transit with loud statements.