Russia warns Europe will 'pay the price' after termination of gas transit agreement
Russia has warned that Ukraine's decision not to renew the contract allowing the transit of Russian gas through its territory will jeopardize European economies.
In December, Kyiv announced that the agreement negotiated with Russia before the war would expire on January 1, a move expected to create challenges for Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria, which previously relied on Russian gas supplies.
Residents of the Moldovan region of Transnistria have already reported gas shortages, according to the BBC.
"The termination of supplies of competitive and environmentally friendly Russian energy not only weakens the economic potential of Europe but also has the most negative impact on the standard of living of European citizens," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said earlier this week.
Despite the ongoing conflict that began in February 2022, Russian gas had continued to transit through Ukraine under the terms of the agreement brokered in 2019.
At a summit in Brussels last December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared his intention not to extend the agreement.
(QG - Newsweek / Picture: © Pixabay)