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Putin: No Time for New Ukraine-Europe Gas Deal

by Krystal

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Thursday that there is insufficient time to reach a new gas transit deal between Russia and Ukraine, blaming Ukraine for the lack of progress.

Ukraine has refused to extend the current gas transit agreement, which allows natural gas to flow uninterrupted to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Putin argued that Ukraine’s refusal harms Europe, as the current deal is set to expire at the end of 2024. Without a new deal in place, European countries could face significant challenges. Putin also noted that the remaining days of the year were too few to finalize a new agreement.

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The existing gas transit deal, which began almost five years ago, allows about 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas to flow through Ukraine to Europe. This amount represents less than 10% of the total gas Russia sent to Europe before the invasion of Ukraine.

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Putin emphasized that Russia would prefer to bypass Ukraine for gas transit but is prevented from doing so due to a lawsuit. He mentioned that Russia could instead use the Yamal pipeline through Poland to supply gas to Europe.

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Earlier in November, Russia urged European countries to negotiate a new deal with Ukraine to ensure continued gas flow. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak made it clear that Russia had little involvement in the discussions between Ukraine and Europe, which could disrupt Russian gas deliveries. “European countries receiving gas through this corridor are interested in continuing the cooperation,” Novak said. “We are ready to supply gas, but the negotiations should happen directly between the European users and Ukraine.”

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Last week, European Union leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels to discuss alternatives to Russian gas. However, Ukraine has firmly stated it will not negotiate with Russia on extending the gas transit deal.

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