Russian gas supply to European Union via Ukraine halted
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Russian gas supplies to European Union states via Ukraine have been halted, shutting down Moscow's oldest gas route to the continent. The five-year gas transit deal between Russia and Ukraine ended in the early hours of 1 January. The move was expected after Kyiv repeatedly said it would not extend the agreement amid the ongoing war.
"We stopped the transit of Russian gas," Ukraine's energy minister German Galushchenko said in a statement. "This is a historic event. Russia is losing its markets, it will suffer financial losses. Europe has already made the decision to abandon Russian gas.".
Russian gas giant Gazprom is expected to lose close to $5bn (£3.9bn) in gas sales due to the stoppage. However, the country still exports gas via the TurkStream pipeline in the Black Sea. TurkStream has two lines - one for the Turkish domestic market and the other supplying central European customers including Hungary and Serbia.
The EU redoubled its efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy by seeking alternative sources after Russia's invasion in 2022. Russia and Ukraine swap at least 300 prisoners of war. Russia's 'hybrid attacks' against NATO 'look like war' and allies must draw 'red lines'.
Crashed Azerbaijan Airlines plane was damaged over Russia 'due to shooting from the ground', says president. The European Commission said on Wednesday the bloc was prepared for the stoppage, and gas infrastructure was "flexible enough to provide gas of non-Russian origin to central and eastern Europe via alternative routes".
