The EU will not extend the contract to transit Russian natural gas through Ukraine.

As European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson stated: “We are not interested in extending the tripartite gas transit agreement, which expires at the end of this year.”

According to her, the countries that received Russian gas in transit through Ukraine, including Austria, Italy, and Slovakia, will be able to find alternative sources of supply.

Europe is scrambling to get rid of Russian gas imports after Russia cut gas supplies to Europe following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It is noted that Europe receives about 12 billion cubic meters of gas per year through Ukraine, compared to 155 billion cubic meters delivered before the war against Ukraine.

Analysts claim that the termination of the transit agreement through Ukraine may lead to a slight increase in gas prices in Europe but will not hinder the common energy security of the EU.

EU countries have invested heavily in liquefied natural gas and renewable energy sources to replace supplies from the Russian Federation.