Zelenskyy Calls on U.S. to Increase Gas Supply to Europe Following Ukraine’s Suspension of Russian Gas Flow – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:03 PM – Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Following years of delivering Russian gas to European countries, exports through Ukraine have been ceased, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to request the United States to increase gas supplies to Europe.
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Ukraine’s energy minister remarked that the nation’s refusal to extend the long-standing agreement was “in the interests of national security.”
“We have halted the transit of Russian gas. This marks a historic moment. Russia is losing markets and will face financial repercussions,” expressed Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister. “Europe has resolved to phase out Russian gas, and today’s actions align with that.”
Although Russia’s gas supply has been eliminated from European markets, officials assert that this halt is not likely to drive up gas prices for residents of the European Union (EU), as the cessation of Russian gas was anticipated and planned for.
“The European gas network is sufficiently adaptable to accommodate gas sources that are not Russian,” stated a representative from the European Commission. “It has been bolstered with substantial new LNG (liquefied natural gas) import capabilities since 2022.”
“We conducted thorough preparations and were ready for this situation,” Austria’s Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler added in a post on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will no longer permit Moscow to profit “billions more … on our blood, on the lives of our citizens.”
Zelenskyy further noted that the cessation of Russian gas transiting through Ukraine will be “one of Moscow’s major defeats,” while advocating for the United States to boost its gas supply to Europe. He accused Moscow of “weaponizing energy and engaging in cynical energy blackmail against its partners.”
“The more gas that Europe’s legitimate partners can supply, the quicker we can overcome the lingering negative impacts of European energy reliance on Russia,” he remarked.
Prior to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Russia accounted for nearly 40% of Europe’s natural gas through four key pipeline systems, one of which ran through Ukraine.
In response to the conflict, Russia started reducing gas deliveries via the Baltic and Belarus-Poland pipelines and insisted that payments be made in rubles. The ruble, or “rouble,” is the currency of the Russian Federation.
Due to the decline in Russian gas availability, European gas prices surged, prompting nations to invest billions of euros in importing liquefied natural gas by maritime routes.
By 2023, Russia’s stake in the EU’s natural gas market plummeted to around 8%.
In addition, Ukraine anticipates a loss of approximately $800 million annually in transit fees due to the suspension of Russian gas, whereas Russia’s gas company is expected to incur losses around $5 billion in gas sales.
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