According to the director of the Institute of Socio-Economic Research of the Financial University under the Government of Russia, Alexei Zubets, it is necessary to listen to the opinions of representatives of Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and other countries on this issue.
“It is necessary for the countries that today receive Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine, despite the continuation of hostilities, to say that they are not interested in this. If they say so, the transit will probably stop. If they say that they are interested in continuing to pump Russian gas so that they can receive it, then European officials will have to adjust their position,” the expert explained.
At the same time, the specialist expressed doubt that transit through Ukraine would be stopped.
In turn, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government and a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, believes that the goal of European officials is to demonstrate that they are “big fighters against Russia.”
“European companies are horrified by everything that is happening, and they are already unable to fully receive gas, because there is no way to deliver it,” he noted.
The analyst added that pipeline gas supplies from Russia fell to 27 billion cubic meters in 2023.
“It’s already not enough, but Europe doesn’t want to lose these volumes either,” said Yushkov.
Earlier, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson notified Ukraine that the European Union is not interested in extending the agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe. The document expires at the end of 2024.