Russia cuts off gas supplies to Austria
Kyiv • UNN
On November 16, Russian Gazprom halts gas transit through Ukraine to Austria. The Austrian authorities say they are ready for such a step and have alternative sources of gas supply.
Russia's Gazprom has warned Austria that it will suspend gas transit through Ukraine starting November 16. This means that the cessation of natural gas supplies from Moscow to Europe in the near future cannot be avoided. This was reported by the international news agency Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
The newspaper notes that the oldest route for Russian gas exports to Europe is a pipeline built in Soviet times. Ukraine plans to shut it down at the end of this year, when the agreement expires, to deprive Russia of the profits that help Moscow finance the war.
The termination of Gazprom's cooperation with Austria means that Russia will now supply significant volumes of gas only to Hungary and Slovakia, in the case of Hungary - through a pipeline that runs mainly through Turkey.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that Gazprom's announcement of the suspension of supplies was expected, and Austria had prepared for it.
“Not a single house will be cold... the gas storage facilities are sufficiently filled,” he told reporters.
The oil and gas company OMV assures that it is ready to stop gas supplies from Russia and will be able to supply gas to its customers by importing it through Germany and Italy, and also receiving liquefied gas from the Netherlands.
Recall
Although Russia is losing ground in the European gas market, some countries still cannot refuse to buy Russian energy. According to the Bruegel think tank, Russia accounted for 15% of EU gas imports in 2023.
