Bulgaria will suspend the transit of Russian gas under short-term contracts in 2026 as part of the European Union's plans to completely abandon Russian gas imports, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The European Union initially planned to end Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, which would mark the end of a multi-year energy relationship with a country that was once Europe's largest gas supplier.
However, last week, EU officials said they were negotiating to find a legal way to move that date forward by a year.
The EU sanctions proposal still needs unanimous support from member states. Hungary and Slovakia have already stated that they will oppose new sanctions on Russian energy.
As an EU member, we will join the decision to suspend short-term contracts for the use or transit of Russian natural gas in 2026, and in the long term — by 2028.
The Minister of Energy stated that the refusal to import Russian gas "opens up huge potential for Bulgaria to become a major transit country for natural gas from LNG terminals in the USA."
As of yesterday, we have two confirmed deliveries for November and December, which will be directed to the consumption of citizens and businesses in Bulgaria and will come from LNG terminals in the USA.
Bulgaria, which was completely dependent on Russian gas until 2022, is now actively looking for opportunities to diversify supplies and find cheaper energy sources.
Russian gas has been replaced by Azerbaijani gas and liquefied natural gas from a terminal in Greece.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that the Bulgarian Minister of Energy assured him that Bulgaria would continue to be a reliable transit partner for Hungary.
Recall
Slovakia and Hungary stated that they would resist pressure from US President Donald Trump to reduce imports of Russian oil and gas until alternative suppliers are secured. Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková and Hungarian Government Minister Gergely Gulyás confirmed that their countries would not take steps that threaten their energy security.