Russian gas exports to European Union nations via Ukraine have come to an end following the expiry of a five-year transit agreement. This marks the end of a decades-long arrangement that has allowed Moscow to transport gas through Ukrainian territory since 1991.

Advertisment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country would no longer allow Russia to "earn additional billions on our blood." 

Also read: South Korea plane crash: Investigators extract data from black box, will be sent to US for analysis

In a statement, the ministry said, “We have stopped the transit of Russian gas. This is a historic event.” It added that Ukraine's gas transport infrastructure had been prepared well in advance for the termination of the agreement.

Advertisment

Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy company, confirmed the end of gas exports through Ukraine, adding that the supply stopped at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

Kyiv hopes that blocking the gas transit will weaken Russia’s financial position. However, Moscow has slammed the move, arguing that it harms Ukraine more.

Blocking Russian gas transit via Ukraine to have 'drastic' impact: Slovak PM Robert Fico

Advertisment

Slovakia, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies, condemned the decision. Prime Minister Robert Fico said, "Halting gas transit via Ukraine will have a drastic impact on us all in the EU but not on the Russian Federation." He added in a video posted on Facebook that Europe would ultimately bear the cost.

Also read: Russia vows response after state media blocked on Telegram in EU

In contrast, some EU nations, including Poland, welcomed the move. The Polish government called the move “another victory” against Moscow.

The European Commission said that most member states were prepared to manage the change. However, the development could cause trouble for Moldova, a non-EU nation that relies heavily on Russian gas to fuel its primary power station.

Although the transit agreement has ended, Russia retains the ability to supply gas to Hungary, Turkey, and Serbia via the TurkStream pipeline, which runs across the Black Sea.

(With inputs from agencies)