Kiev, 30 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine will halt the shipment of Russian oil and gas through its pipelines to the European Union at the end of this year, when the current contract expires and will not be renewed, a top adviser to the government said on Friday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymr Zelensky, said in an interview with the Novini.Live broadcaster, that the current contract ends at the end of the year, and although the agreement cannot be unilaterally cancelled "there is no doubt that it will all end on January 1, 2025."

Kiev is prepared to transport gas from the Central Asian countries or Azerbaijan to Europe, but not from Russia, as it is crucial for Ukraine to deprive Russia of its sources of income from the sale of raw materials after it attacked its neighbour well over two years ago.

The contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe between the state-owned companies Gazprom and Naftogaz ends on December 31.

Despite the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainians have fulfilled the contract's terms - in part at the insistence of its European neighbours, especially Hungary.

But the leadership in Kiev has repeatedly made it clear that it will not extend this contract. Zelensky stated this once again recently.

Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are the last countries to receive Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. The northern section of the pipeline leading to Germany was largely shut down due to Western sanctions on Russian oil.

According to Russian media reports, the Kazakh subsidiary of Italian energy supplier Eni began pumping oil from the Caspian Sea through the pipeline in August. Although this compromise allows Russia to generate transit revenue, it does not allow it to sell its own oil to Europe, Russia's most lucrative market.

Photo: EPA