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02-01-2025, 08:17 AM
Moscow has transported gas to Europe through Ukraine since 1991, immediate effects are light, the strategic and symbolic impact for the whole of Europe is enormous.Russia has lost an important market, but its president, Vladimir Putin, says EU has significantly reduced imports of gas from Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a number of eastern member states still depend largely on supplies, making Russia about €5bn ($5.2bn; £4.2bn) a year.
Russian gas was less than 10% of the EU's gas imports in 2023, according to the bloc. That figure was 40% in 2021. Several EU members, including Slovakia Austria, continued to import significant amounts of gas from Russia. Austria's energy regulator said that it did not forecast any disruption as it had diversified sources and built up reserves. But the end of the transit deal has already caused serious tensions with Slovakia, which is now the main entry point of Russian gas into the EU and earned transit fees from piping the gas on to Austria, Hungary and Italy.
Slovakia has said it will pay more for alternative routes. Its energy regulator announced in early December that Gas prices for consumers would rise in 2025.
Russian gas was less than 10% of the EU's gas imports in 2023, according to the bloc. That figure was 40% in 2021. Several EU members, including Slovakia Austria, continued to import significant amounts of gas from Russia. Austria's energy regulator said that it did not forecast any disruption as it had diversified sources and built up reserves. But the end of the transit deal has already caused serious tensions with Slovakia, which is now the main entry point of Russian gas into the EU and earned transit fees from piping the gas on to Austria, Hungary and Italy.
Slovakia has said it will pay more for alternative routes. Its energy regulator announced in early December that Gas prices for consumers would rise in 2025.
