OREANDA-NEWS   Slovakia is doing everything to be able to continue transporting gas from east to west through its territory, as well as to maintain transit through Ukraine, Minister of Economy of the Republic Denisa Sakova said.

Earlier, Slovak media reported that Sakova and the CEO of the largest Slovak energy operator SPP, Vojtech Ferenc, flew to Russia to discuss issues related to gas supplies to the republic. Some representatives of the Slovak opposition criticized Sakova for this trip and the lack of details about the visit to the Russian Federation.

"These were commercial negotiations (in Russia - ed.), which are subject to commercial secrecy. We are waiting for a series of negotiations, we are doing everything to ensure that gas passes through our territory and continues to transit, as well as through Ukraine," Sakova told reporters on Friday.

The current agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine expires at the end of 2024, and Kiev has repeatedly stated that it does not plan to extend it. The agreement between Transneft and Ukrtransnafta on the transit of Russian oil is valid until 2030, however, the EU oil embargo prohibiting oil supplies from the Russian Federation by sea and along the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline (to Germany and Poland), with respect to supplies along the southern branch (through Ukraine towards Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic) It provides for the postponement of the application of sanctions until a special decision of the EU Council in this regard.

Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of Vladimir Zelensky's office, said in late August that Ukraine would stop both Russian gas transit and transit through the Druzhba oil pipeline from January 1, 2025, referring to an EU resolution according to which Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary had to find opportunities to diversify oil supplies and stop the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine.