Ukraine is ready to fulfill its obligations under the Association Agreement with the EU regarding the transit of any gas except Russian gas.
This was reported by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, in his Telegram following a conversation with the head of the Slovak government, Robert Fico.
"I had a conversation with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. I emphasized that Ukraine’s priority is guaranteed energy security for all of Europe, especially the uninterrupted supply of natural gas in the winter period," noted Shmyhal.
He reminded that at the level of the entire European Union and in cooperation with EU countries, much has been done in recent years to ensure reliable gas supplies and to prevent the use of any type of energy as a weapon, which for decades was a common practice for Russia in its relations with neighboring countries and the European Union.
"Ukraine is ready to fulfill the obligations we have undertaken under the Association Agreement with the EU. Therefore, if the European Commission officially approaches Ukraine regarding the transit of any gas except Russian gas, we will, of course, discuss this and are ready to implement the relevant agreements based on the principles of energy security for the entire EU and each European nation," emphasized the Prime Minister.
He reminded that Ukraine’s gas transit agreement with Russia ends on January 1, 2025, and will not be extended.
Shmyhal also emphasized that Ukraine is grateful to all partners in Europe for understanding that Russia uses its energy exports to finance the criminal and unprovoked war against our country and to continue its destabilizing activities against other European countries and the EU as a whole.
"It is important that the EU’s 15th sanctions package enhances sanctions, particularly against the shadow tanker fleet, which brings significant income to Russia for continuing the war. Sanctions pressure against the Russian energy sector should continue, as this is one of the key elements to pressure Russia towards genuine peace," Shmyhal stressed.
He also reported that he discussed with Fico the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the field of electricity.
"Over the past week, 30% of electricity imports came from Slovakia. We are grateful for such support and are ready to expand these opportunities, as it strengthens both our peoples — Ukraine’s resilience and Slovakia’s economy," Shmyhal reported.
According to him, Ukraine and Slovakia have an ambitious cooperation agenda in the field of logistics and transportation. Regarding this, yesterday the Kyiv-Bratislava train started operating, which is another successful joint project.
"We continue to build relations with the Slovak government according to the interests of both our nations and a pragmatic approach to solving common issues," concluded the Prime Minister.