EC cancels gas meeting due to absence of Ukrainian delegation

The European Commission (EC) has canceled the negotiations on gas transit through Ukraine due to the absence of the Ukrainian delegation. This was announced by the Slovak government office on January 6.

"Given the fact that the Ukrainian side will not participate in tomorrow's negotiations, the European Commission has decided to cancel the meeting," the news portal Euroactiv quoted the statement as saying.

It is specified that the leading topic of the thwarted meeting was supposed to be Ukraine's stopping gas transit to Slovakia.

The government office added that the meeting will be rescheduled for another date.

Energetic approach: why the Slovak prime minister flew to the Russian president

During the talks between Vladimir Putin and Robert Fitzo, the topic of fuel supplies via Ukraine may have been raised

On January 1, 2025 at 8:00 Moscow time, the agreement of December 30, 2019 between Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy on gas transit through Ukraine, as well as between Gazprom and the Operator of the Gas Transmission System of Ukraine LLC expired at 8:00 Moscow time.

On that day, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo said that stopping the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine would have drastic consequences for the European Union, but not for Russia.

At the same time, a European Commission spokesman said that 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.

In late August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (whose term expired on May 20, 2024) said the country would not renew its gas transit agreement with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin later said that Russia was not giving up gas transit through Ukraine.

Last December, it was reported that Zelensky said he agreed to transit Russian gas through Ukraine if Western countries do not pay Russia for the fuel until the conflict ends.