Negotiations for Azerbaijani gas transit through Ukraine underway

According to Bloomberg, European countries are in talks with Kyiv about maintaining transit through Ukraine by replacing Russian gas with gas from Azerbaijan.

Representatives of European countries and gas companies are negotiating with Ukrainian partners to maintain gas transit through Ukraine after the contract expires at the end of 2024.

The contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe expires at the end of 2024, and Kyiv does not plan to extend it with Gazprom. According to Bloomberg's sources, a possible option is for European companies to purchase gas from Azerbaijan and inject it into Russian pipelines leading to Europe.

Oleksiy Chernyshov, CEO of the Ukrainian state company Naftogaz, ruled out cooperation with the Russian Gazprom but emphasized that Ukraine has "an incredible gas transmission and storage infrastructure that should be utilized."

Bloomberg lists Slovakia as a key country that could benefit from this option, noting that its Prime Minister Robert Fico mentioned such a possibility already in May after a trip to Azerbaijan.

According to him, if the negotiations are successful, Slovakia can import gas from Azerbaijan, keeping some for itself and sending the rest to other countries.

Negotiations are early, and a decision can be expected only by the end of 2024. Events on the battlefield may also be an important factor in decision-making.

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Let us recall that in 2019, a five-year contract was signed for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe. Russia still delivers large amounts of gas to Europe (approximately 15 billion cubic metres per year), and the main recipients remain Slovakia and Austria.