Zakharova: stopping Russian gas flows through Ukraine poses threat to Europe
The United States, the EU authorities and the Kiev regime are responsible for stopping the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, Gazprom fulfilled contractual obligations – as stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, TASS reports
"We would emphasise that the Kiev authorities decided to stop pumping natural gas from Russia for residents of European countries, despite Gazprom's fulfilment of its contractual obligations," Ms. Zakharova said. "The United States, the puppet Kiev regime, and the authorities of European states that sacrificed the well-being of their citizens for the financial support of the American economy are responsible for stopping Russian gas flows.”
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry added that the cessation of gas supplies from Russia would negatively affect the Europeans’ quality of life. "The cessation of supplies of competitive and environmentally friendly Russian energy not only weakens Europe's economic potential, but also has a very negative impact on the standard of living of Europeans. The geopolitical background of the Kiev regime's decision is evident: the United States is the main beneficiary of the redistribution of the Old World energy market and the main sponsor of the Ukrainian crisis,” the diplomat stressed.
The agreement on the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory expired on January 1st, 2025, it provided for the pumping of 40bn cubic metres annually. Ukraine's refusal to extend the agreement deprived Gazprom of the technical and legal opportunity to supply fuel via this route, and therefore supplies were stopped on the morning of January 1st.
