Zelenskyy rejected the possibility of Russian gas transit through Ukraine under the guise of Azerbaijani

Zelenskyy rejected the possibility of Russian gas transit through Ukraine under the guise of Azerbaijani

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine does not plan to renew the agreement with Gazprom for the transit of Russian gas to Europe and made it clear that Kyiv will not agree to transport Russian gas under the guise of Azerbaijani gas. 

He stated this during a conversation with media representatives in Brussels.

Zelenskyy was asked whether it is possible that Ukraine might change its decision and renew the transit agreement with Russia’s Gazprom, which expires on January 1, 2025, to which he responded that it is out of the question.

"We will not engage in extending the transit of Russian gas. We will not allow additional billions to be earned on our blood. And any country in the world that may receive something cheap from Russia will eventually become dependent on the Russian Federation – it’s just a matter of time, whether a month or a year. That is their strategy. Therefore, we will not transit Russian gas," emphasized Zelenskyy.

He noted that he discussed this, among others, with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and outlined Ukraine’s position on the potential transit of Azerbaijani gas to Europe – although he did not directly mention Azerbaijan.

"I clearly explained to him: (this is possible) if it is gas not from Russia, but from another country… But we do not want to participate in a game where this other country receives gas from Russia and then transits its gas. This is the same as continuing to earn money on this war and passing the money to Russia," the president stated.

"If a European country wants to receive gas and not pay these funds to Russia until the end of the war – it can be considered… But again, we will not allow additional earnings for Russia in this war," Zelenskyy concluded.