BRATISLAVA, January 27 Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, in an interview with the news publication Teraz, said that he favors the creation of conditions that would allow the continuation of transit Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine after 2024, believes that this can be organized without the direct participation of Ukrainian firms.
Earlier, the RBC-Ukraine publication, citing sources in the Ukrainian government, reported that Ukraine is not going to renew the agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe, which expires at the end of 2024; transit will be possible after this period only if the recipient leases capacity of the Ukrainian gas transportation system. The head of the Russian Ministry of Energy, Nikolai Shulginov, stated that Europe was interested in extending the deal on gas transit through Ukraine, and believed that it would be agreed upon with the participation of intermediaries.
According to Fico, «Ukraine realizes that the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory brings in certain income.» “I think it would be a mistake not to create conditions for the transit of Russian gas to Europe… I would be glad if a solution was found, perhaps without the direct participation of Ukrainian firms,” Fico said.
According to him, there may be various options for resolving this issue, for example, firms such as the Slovak Gas Industry in Slovakia could “make active steps towards Gazprom.” < br />«Everything will depend on the will of the Ukrainians to guarantee the continuation of this transit,» Fico said.