Moscow
Commenting on Ukrainian authorities' refusal to extend an agreement on the transit of Russian natural gas, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 28 that Russia has alternative routes for supplies to European countries.
“There is an alternative route, there are plans to set up a base in Turkey and work is underway,” Peskov said, TASS reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first floated the idea of establishing a gas base in Turkey in 2022.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in December last year that implementation of the hub project could start as early as 2024.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on August 27 that his country would not extend the transit agreement through Ukraine beyond December 31.
The Ukrainian company signed a five-year contract with Gazprom at the end of 2019.
Peskov said Kiev's decision to abandon a contract with Gazprom to supply Russian gas to Europe would seriously harm European consumers.
“They will simply have to pay more, which will make their industry less competitive,” he added.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Russia supplied more than 14 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine in 2023, falling short of the 40 billion cubic meters stipulated in the contract.
EU member states Austria, Hungary and Slovakia still receive Russian gas in this way.
The three countries remain dependent on Russian natural gas, despite the EU promising to become free from Russian natural gas by 2027 following Moscow's launch of a full-scale offensive into Ukraine in February 2022.
