The Naftogaz company will not renew its contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukrainian territory, which will expire in 2024, according to the president of the board of that company, Alexey Chernyshev, in an interview cited today by Ukrainian media.
"Ukraine maintains the transit of Russian gas exclusively for the purpose of supporting our European colleagues," Chernyshev stated to justify that the transit has not yet been interrupted despite the war. However, once the contract with the Russian Gazprom expires at the end of 2024, on the part of Naftogaz there is "no intention or initiative" to extend it, he declared, noting that the European Union has set the goal of abandoning complete Russian gas consumption in 2027.
On the other hand, Chernyshev pointed out that Ukraine is the third European country in gas reserves and has "very ambitious plans" to increase production and reduce its own consumption in order to become a "net exporter" in the coming years.
A year ago, Naftogaz denounced Gazprom before the International Court of Arbitration because, according to the Russian giant, it is paying less than what was stipulated in the contract after having unilaterally reduced the volumes of gas it transports through Ukrainian territory.
