Ukraine Agrees to Transit Azerbaijani Gas to Europe Amid Russia Deal's End

Ukraine has agreed to transit Azerbaijani gas to Europe after its gas transit deal with Russia ends. Despite not wanting to renew the deal with Russia, Ukraine will include some Russian gas in the volumes. The arrangement aims to help the EU transition away from Russian gas.

Ukraine has agreed to transit Azerbaijani gas to Europe as a temporary measure after it ends its transit deal with Russia, even though it expects some Russian gas will be included in the volumes, the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet reported on Thursday.

Ukraine's gas transit deal with Russia's Gazprom is due to expire at the end of this year. Kyiv has stated it does not wish to renew the contract amid the ongoing war between the two nations. However, several central European countries still depend on Russian gas that flows through Ukrainian pipelines, having secured an exemption from a European Union ban on Russian gas imports.

An Azerbaijani official mentioned that the EU and Kyiv have requested Baku to facilitate talks with Russia. One potential option is for Azerbaijan to purchase Russian gas for its use, thereby freeing up its own gas reserves for export to the EU. A source in the Ukrainian government stated that this initiative is aimed at easing the EU's transition away from Russian gas.

(With inputs from agencies.)