"He emphasized that Ukraine's priority is to ensure guaranteed energy security for all of Europe, particularly through uninterrupted natural gas supply during the winter period. [...] A significant amount has been accomplished in recent years to secure reliable gas supplies and render the use of any form of energy as a weapon impossible, which has been a common practice for Russia in its relations with neighboring countries and the European Union for decades," – wrote Shmyhal.
He highlighted that Ukraine is prepared to fulfill its commitments under the Association Agreement with the EU.
"Therefore, if the European Commission officially reaches out to Ukraine regarding the transit of any gas other than Russian, we will certainly discuss it and are ready to implement the corresponding agreements based on the principles of energy security for both the entire EU and each European nation. He stressed that the agreement between Ukraine and Russia on gas transit will expire on January 1, 2025, and will not be extended," – stated Shmyhal.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that Russia is using its energy exports to finance a criminal and unprovoked war against Ukraine and to continue destabilizing other countries in Europe. New EU anti-Russian sanctions are "one of the key elements in compelling Russia to face reality."
"We also discussed increasing our cooperation in the energy sector. Over the past week, 30% of electricity imports came specifically from Slovakia. We are grateful for this support and are ready to expand these opportunities, as it strengthens both of our nations – the resilience of Ukraine and the economy of Slovakia," – noted Shmyhal.