OREANDA-NEWS  Bulgaria's decision to introduce an additional fee for the transit of Russian gas in the amount of more than $ 100 per thousand cubic meters is an attempt to pressure and really creates certain problems for Gazprom, which does not have many opportunities to respond. The situation with tariffs in an interview with RIA Novosti was described by Sergey Kapitonov, an analyst at the Project Center for Energy Transfer and ESG of Skoltech.

He explained that due to the fall in the share of the European market, the Russian company has lost the possibility of an effective reaction, and the position of the Bulgarian authorities may be part of a "big political game". For example, the desire to force Gazprom to be more accommodating when negotiating a new gas contract with Ukraine in 2024.

Among the options for fighting, named by the expert, the weakest remains an attempt to go to court. According to Kapitonov, attempts to legally resolve the issue are doomed to failure.

It seems more realistic to negotiate with Bulgaria by agreeing to supply it with gas on favorable terms. Currently, the country does not have import contracts with Russia, dealing only with transit, but it can be allowed to receive cheap fuel through the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. The option of pressure through Turkey, which wants to become a gas hub and therefore is interested in the stable behavior of transit countries, also looks like a working one.