Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Ukraine ending Russian gas transit

Kiev has refused to extend the agreements between Russia’s Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, which expired on January 1, 2025. On the same day, the transit of Russian gas to Europe through the territory of Ukraine was stopped. Just to emphasise, the Ukrainian authorities chose to halt Russian gas supplies to European residents despite Gazprom fulfilling its contractual obligations.

This move to cease the supply of competitive and environmentally friendly Russian source of energy both diminishes Europe’s economic potential and severely affects the quality of life for European citizens. The geopolitical context behind the Kiev regime’s decision is obvious, with the United States being the primary beneficiary of the redistribution of the energy market in Europe as well as the core sponsor of the Ukrainian crisis. The major European economy, Germany, has already become the first one to fall victim of its predatory strategy: it was forced to purchase natural gas at significantly higher prices following explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Germany also had to start shutting down a number of its major legendary production facilities. Now other nations that were once part of the economically thriving and independent European Union will also bear the consequences of the US sponsorship.

The responsibility for halting Russian gas supplies lies entirely with the United States, the puppet Kiev regime, and the authorities of European states that chose financial support for the American economy over well-being of their citizens.