Brussels has no comment on Fico's visit to Moscow, EU prepared for stop of Russian gas flow via Ukraine
The European Commission has no comment on the recent visit by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to Moscow, but the Eu is prepared for the termination of the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent in Brussels received on Monday such a comment from the European Commission about Fico's trip to Moscow, during which he met with Vladimir Putin to discuss further supplies of cheap Russian gas.
"In relation to the issue of PM Fico's visit to Moscow, we have no comment. However, we would like to recall the following facts, attributable on the record to a Commission Spokesperson: The stop of flow via Ukraine on 1 January is the expected situation and the EU is prepared for it," a representative of the Commission said.
The other fact is that the European Commission, in coordination with the Member States, has been working for more than a year specifically on preparing for a scenario without Russian gas transiting via Ukraine as of 1 January 2025 and on ensuring that alternative supplies are available for the impacted Member States.
"The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to provide gas of non-Russian origin to Central and Eastern Europe via alternative routes. It has been reinforced with significant new LNG import capacities since 2022," the spokesperson said.
In addition, the Commission said security of gas supply architecture of the EU has been reinforced in the last couple of years, including with energy efficiency measures and renewables development.
"The impact of the end of the transit via Ukraine on the EU's security of supply is limited," the official said.