Fitzo pointed out the consequences for the EU of stopping gas transit through Ukraine

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo said on Wednesday, January 1, that stopping Russian gas transit through Ukraine would have drastic consequences for the European Union (EU), but not for Russia.

"This will have radical consequences for all of us in the European Union, but not for Russia," he said in a statement published on his Facebook page (part of Meta, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia).

Transit number: Will gas supplies through Ukraine stop on January 1?

Preservation of exports will depend on the geopolitical situation and the persistence of European business, experts believe

Earlier in the day, a European Commission spokesman said the EC was ready to stop gas transit because the European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to supply non-Russian gas to Central and Eastern Europe via alternative routes.

"Gazprom announced the suspension of gas supplies through Ukraine on January 1. The company noted that gas transportation stopped from 8:00 Moscow time.

In late August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term expired in May, said that the country would not extend the gas transit agreement with Russia, which expires at the end of 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin later said that Russia was not giving up gas transit through Ukraine.

Later, on December 20, it was reported that Zelensky said that he had agreed to transit Russian gas through Ukraine if Western countries did not pay Russia for the fuel until the conflict ended.