President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed to Bloomberg that Ukraine is negotiating to facilitate Azerbaijani gas transit to the EU, aiming to maintain its role as a key transit country.

With the current Russian gas transit agreement set to expire at the end of 2024 and unlikely to be renewed, Ukraine is exploring alternatives. 

“Alternative steps are being considered now on how we can use the pipeline with another gas supplier, another country. Negotiations are underway. We don’t want to extend the gas contract with Russia. We don’t want them making money here,” he said. 

The current agreement between Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom was signed in 2019. Last month, Bloomberg News reported that European officials were discussing extending gas supplies through Ukraine, contrary to Ukraine’s stated intentions.

Despite efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy, some European countries remain heavily reliant on Russian gas. This spring, Austria received over 80% of its gas imports from Russia, while Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic also maintain significant dependence on Russian supplies.

Read more:

• Reuters: Lithuania pushes for EU-wide deadline to end reliance on Russian gas
• FT: Türkiye aims to reduce reliance on Russian gas with US LNG deal
• CEPA: Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s gas storage threaten Europe’s reserves, Kyiv’s transit exit plan