On 15 October, the EU Energy Council discussed the energy situation in Ukraine, ahead of the third winter since the start of the war, as well as the EU’s readiness to give up Russian gas, EU Neighbours East reports.
Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, told reporters after the Council meeting that the EU was ready for the gas transit agreement between Gazprom and Naftogaz to expire at the end of the year.
She said the Commission has been working closely with the most impacted Member States to prepare for a zero-transit scenario as of 1 January 2025. Central and Southeastern Europe has diversified supply options to fully replace the 14 bcm of Russian gas that is still transiting via Ukraine, the Commissioner said. New and existing LNG terminals have sufficient capacity, the transport infrastructure is there, and various alternative supply routes exist for both LNG and pipeline imports.
“I have said this before and will say it again: there are no excuses, the EU can live without this Russian gas,” Simson said to journalists. “If Member States prefer to continue importing Russian gas, and they do it even beyond contracted capacity, or if they wish to sign new agreements for new capacities, I want to be clear: this is not a necessity. It is a political choice, and a dangerous one.”
She added that the cost of relations with Russia “was measured not only in the price of gas, but also in the lives lost in Ukraine.”