The U.S. suggested that Russia will continue to supply gas to its EU allies

By refusing to transit Russian gas, Ukraine will lose billions of dollars, but Russia's allies in Europe will still continue to receive it at acceptable, low prices. This was stated by US journalist Jackson Hinkle on 2 January.

Thus he commented on the statement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (his term of office expired on May 20, 2024), where he pointed to Moscow 's alleged "defeat" after Kiev's ban on fuel transportation to the European Union (EU).

"You are delusional! Ukraine will lose billions without gas transit. Most of the EU will lose cheap energy and will be forced to buy expensive alternatives," Hinkle noted on his page on the social network X (former Twitter).

The journalist added that Russia will not stop supplying fuel to those countries that have maintained good relations with it. As for the former markets, Moscow has already found more reliable partners instead.

There is no more gas transit through Ukraine. What the media say

Earlier on January 2, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the cessation of gas supplies from Russia via Ukraine weakens the EU's economic potential. The diplomat stressed that the Russian side had fulfilled all its obligations under the contract with Naftohaz Ukrayiny. In his turn, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, Artem Dmytruk, said that Ukraine would face big problems after its decision to refuse to transit Russian gas through its territory. He pointed out that Ukraine would lose revenues from transit, which previously amounted to $800m per year.

Russian energy company Gazprom said it had suspended gas supplies through Ukraine since 8:00 Moscow time on January 1. At that moment, the agreement of December 30, 2019 with Naftogaz of Ukraine on gas transit through the Ukrainian territory, as well as between Gazprom and the Operator of the Gas Transmission System of Ukraine LLC expired.

At the time, Crimean Duma deputy Mikhail Sheremet said that Kiev's decision to stop the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine was a shock and a stab in the back for the EU. He noted that Zelensky repaid his European partners with an evil coin, condemning their economies to destruction and actually taking the population of the EU countries hostage.

In August 2024, Zelensky said Ukraine would not renew its gas transit agreement with Russia, which expired at the end of last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Moscow is not giving up gas supplies through Ukraine. At the end of December, Zelenskyy said that he would agree to transit if Western countries did not pay the Russian side for the time being.