Russia’s state-owned giant, Gazprom, has announced that it has suspended gas supplies to Europe through the pipeline that runs through Ukraine. This decision comes after Kyiv refused to sign an extension of the contract that expired at the end of 2024, which had been agreed upon before Russia’s war against Ukraine began.
Gazprom’s decision, made public on January 1 through a post on Telegram, is not expected to cause major problems for European consumers, due to their long-standing efforts to reduce reliance on Russian gas.
Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and some countries in the Balkans have continued to purchase Russian gas via Ukraine—albeit in reduced quantities—even after the war began in February 2022.
