Zelensky called Fico's pro-Russian energy policy "a big security issue" for Slovakia and Europe, asking: "Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?"
Key developments on Dec. 20: * Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims * Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack * Ukraine charges Russian general with killing Reuters employee in Kramatorsk * Russia captures 'Uspenivka pocket,' Ukraine denies reports of failed breakout * Ukraine begins
“We will not engage in extending the transit of Russian gas. We will not give (Russia) the opportunity to earn additional billions on our blood,” Zelensky said.
Slovakia's state-owned energy company SPP and its partners in Hungary, Italy, and Austria called for continued gas transit through Ukraine in a declearation published on Dec. 17.
The Petroleum Industry of Serbia, primarily owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft and its parent company Gazprom, is Serbia’s exclusive gas supplier and controls the main pipelines delivering gas from Russia to Serbian households and industries.
Leader of Moldova's Russian-occupied Transnistria region, Vadim Krasnoselsky, signed a decree on Dec. 9 introducing a 30-day economic state of emergency due to the risk of Russian gas supply disruptions, Newsmaker media reported.
Canada unveiled a renewed Arctic strategy on Dec. 6, aiming to bolster regional security in response to growing threats from Russia.
According to Putin's new law, gas purchases are no longer tied to Gazprombank and can be settled by offsetting mutual debts. The U.S. sanctioned Gazprombank on Nov. 21.
Turkey is in talks with the United States in an effort to receive a sanctions waiver to further continue payments for Russian natural gas imports, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Nov. 25.
Kyiv has indicated it will not extend the transit deal, ending over 50 years of gas flows from Siberia to central Europe — a vital revenue stream for Russia since the Soviet era.
Russia's Gazprom Export announced that its supply of natural gas to Austria is ending on Nov. 16, according to OMV, Austria's largest gas supply company.
Austrian integrated oil and gas company OMV announced on Nov. 13 that it had secured an arbitral award from the International Chamber of Commerce exceeding $243 million. This ruling relates to irregularities in German gas supplies provided by Gazprom.
Germany's Economy Ministry instructed its state-operated import terminal "to reject LNG deliveries from Russia until further notice."
Slovensky plynarensky priemysel (SPP) may also consider a longer-term agreement, as it is also preparing to cut off Russian gas supplies through Ukraine.
The fields supplying the plant pumped an average of 0.4 million cubic meters of gas per day in the first ten days of November, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with knowledge of industry data.
Tankers bearing sanctioned Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) have clustered off Russia's eastern coast following suspension of operations at the Arctic LNG 2 plant, indicating that Moscow is unable to find buyers for its product amid sanctions.
In the meantime, Gazprom's net cash flow from operating activities increased by 5% to $242 billion in 2023.
India will not purchase liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, which has been sanctioned by Western countries, Indian Oil Secretary Pankaj Jain said on Sept. 27, Reuters reported. Arctic LNG 2, owned by Russia’s Novatek, aims to produce nearly 20 million metric tons of LNG
The U.K. imposed sanctions on Sept. 25 against five vessels and two companies involved in the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) as it looks to exert more pressure on sources of revenue for the Kremlin, according to a statement. While LNG exports have been less heavily sanctioned
Germany's natural gas storage facilities are full, and all goals have been met, according to German Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck
The Austrian Energy Ministry said as long as there is dependence on Russian gas supplies, "there is a massive risk of a corresponding supply failure with far-reaching consequences."
Authorities opened a preliminary criminal case into the potential violation of industrial health and safety standards, RIA Novosti said.
Buyers suspected of links to Russia are buying up dozens of vessels capable of carrying liquified natural gas (LNG), possibly signaling an expansion of its "ghost fleet" of tankers, the Financial Times (FT) reported on July 22.
Kyiv is in talks to transit gas from Azerbaijan to the EU after the contract to transit Russian gas expires in December 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on July 3.
"According to the preliminary information, the cause was an unusual heat, which led to depressurization and combustion," Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin claimed on his Telegram channel.
European Union countries failed to approve a new sanctions package targeting the Russian gas industry after German authorities intervened to block the deal at the last minute.
An arbitration court awarded the German energy company Uniper the right to terminate a long-term contract with Russia's Gazprom and more than 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in damages for failed gas deliveries, Uniper said on June 12.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was aware of Russia's intention to reduce gas supply to blackmail Europe to speed up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline launch but concealed the information, German media outlet Handelsblatt reported on June 6, citing classified documents.
"The main consequences of sanctions for Gazprom and the energy industry are the contraction of export volumes, which will be restored to their 2020 level no earlier than in 2035," the report said.
Iran’s recent missile attacks against Israel serve as a stark reminder of the growing audacity of petro-dictatorships in flouting international norms and undermining global peace. Iran, emboldened by Russia’s relentless and indiscriminate assaults on Ukraine – targeting everything from hospitals and kindergartens to power stations with Iranian-made missiles and
Kadri Simson also said the EU is preparing for a sudden end to the Russian gas supply when the transit contract between Ukraine and Moscow expires at the end of this year.
The state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom reported a net loss of 629 billion rubles (nearly $6.9 billion) in 2023, the company's largest profit downturn in decades amidst falling gas prices and a limited European market.
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