- Gas supplies from Russia through Ukraine have dropped sharply after Kyiv refused to renew a key transit deal due to the ongoing war.
- Kremlin officials have emphasised that future deals with Europe would be handled strictly as commercial transactions.
The Kremlin announced on Thursday, April 24, that Russia is not holding any discussions with the United States or Europe regarding the supply of Russian gas through Ukraine. Since the military conflict in Ukraine began in February 2022, and following explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, Russian gas exports to Europe have drastically declined.
The flow of Russian gas through Ukraine also dropped significantly at the start of this year after the expiration of a transit agreement. Ukraine declined to renew the deal as a result of the ongoing war.
Earlier this month, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the U.S. pushed for its International Development Finance Corporation to take over a natural gas pipeline owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom. The pipeline runs across Ukraine to Europe and was reportedly part of broader peace negotiations.
Russia uses only one main route to deliver gas to Europe: the TurkStream pipeline, which runs through the Black Sea to Turkey and then supplies southern and central Europe.
During a daily press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia has no ongoing talks with the U.S. or Europe about expanding gas supplies.
“No, there are no talks,” he stated. “This is a commercial matter. There is a gas seller, and there are potential buyers. If buyers express interest and the transit route functions, the seller is willing to discuss terms. No one is rejecting or ruling anything out.”
In an interview published Wednesday, April 23, by French magazine Le Point, Peskov said Gazprom remains open to resuming gas deliveries. “Gazprom will certainly consider it. We are ready to sell our gas, and we know European countries are still interested in purchasing it. Everything will be handled commercially,” he said.