Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Farewell to Russian Gas "Under this title, the American magazine Politika said in its European version distributed in Brussels, that in the past few hours, the last drops of Russian gas have been making their way to Europe via a pipeline in Ukraine. Deliveries will not continue because Kiev - which has been at war with Russia for almost three years - said it will not renew a contract with the Russian gas exporter Gazprom.
This means bad news for Moscow-friendly countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, which have maintained their dependence on Russian gas even as other countries have abandoned it (some Russian gas will still find its way to Europe via other routes - namely a pipeline in Turkey - but it will not replace the gas that is no longer sent via Ukraine).
What does this mean for Europe? A new struggle to secure new gas supplies, and the most likely beneficiary is the United States. There is also talk of reviving plans for a Qatari-backed pipeline that would send gas to Europe via Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. But this is out of reach for years, if it starts working
For its part, the European Commission has downplayed The impact of Russia's halt to gas exports via Ukraine, stressing its readiness for this decision.
Europe has become ready to rely on non-Russian gas thanks to enhanced LNG import capacities and alternative supply routes via Central and Eastern Europe.
A spokesperson for the Commission confirmed that Central and Eastern Europe can receive non-Russian gas through alternative routes due to flexible infrastructure.
Since 2022, Europe's LNG import capacities have been significantly enhanced, ensuring stable energy supplies amid the changes.
Russian energy company Gazprom announced the suspension of gas exports via Ukraine to Europe as of 8:00 am Moscow time (05:00 GMT) due to the expiration of the transit agreement.
Natural gas prices in Europe rose during trading at the end of trading yesterday, Tuesday, to 50 euros per megawatt/hour for the first time in more than a year, as Russia prepares to stop pumping natural gas to Europe via Ukraine's pipeline network as of tomorrow morning, due to the failure to renew the Russian gas transit agreement for Ukrainian territory, which expires today.
Bloomberg News Agency quoted a statement by the Ukrainian gas pipeline operator as saying that initial orders for gas transport via the Sudzha pumping station on the Russian-Ukrainian border as of January 1 were zero.

Dmytro Sakharuk, CEO of the Ukrainian company D-Trading, said in an interview on Tuesday: "There is a political dimension to the discussion about the expired agreement, but from a commercial and practical point of view, we do not expect major problems."

He stressed that Europe is prepared to face the interruption of supplies, and that the end of the agreement is already reflected in prices, noting that the quantities currently flowing through Ukraine are not enough to disrupt the regional market or cause a shortage of supplies.

In the same context, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry announced today, Wednesday, the suspension of the transport of Russian natural gas through its territory, indicating that this measure comes for matters related to "national security."

The statement in Kiev comes as a five-year contract between the Russian Gazprom and the Ukrainian Naftogaz expires.

The statement added, quoting Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko, "We have stopped the transport of Russian gas. This is a historic event."