Oleksiy Chernyshov, chairman of the executive board of state-owned Naftogaz Ukrainy, said Ukraine does not want to extend the contract for Russian gas transit through its territory after the contract expires at the end of 2024.
In terms of this contract, (we) are to be a reliable partner to our European partners in need of (raw material). But the deal expires in 2024 and we have no intention of extending it – Chernyshov said in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
The head of Naftogaz explained that Ukraine transports Russian gas only because of the request of European partners. He also recalled that the European Union announced that it would completely stop using Russian gas by 2027.
Chernyshov said that a part of the gas pipeline passes through territories occupied by Russia, so Kiev does not receive part of the transport fee from Russian Gazprom.
A Russian gas pipeline running through Ukraine helped supply Central European countries: Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.