MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian energy giant Gazprom ( MCX: ) said on Wednesday that gas exports from Ukraine to Europe had been suspended from 08:00 Moscow time (0500 GMT) as a transit agreement expired.
The closure of Russia's oldest gas route to Europe ends a decade of strained relations stemming from Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Russia still exports gas through the TurkStream pipeline on the Black Sea bed.
The European Union redoubled its efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy after the outbreak of military conflict in Ukraine in 2022 by seeking alternative sources.
The five-year gas agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires on January 1, 2025, while Kyiv has repeatedly said it will not extend the agreement amid the war.
“Due to the repeated and clear refusal of the Ukrainian side to renew these contracts, Gazprom was deprived of the technical and legal capacity to supply gas to the region of Ukraine from January 1, 2025,” Gazprom said in a statement. Telegram messaging app.
“As of 08:00 Moscow time, the supply of Russian gas for its transportation on the territory of Ukraine has not been carried out.”