OREANDA-NEWS The European Commission has cancelled negotiations on gas transit through Ukraine, which were scheduled for January 7, due to the fact that there will be no representatives of the Ukrainian side, the Office of the Slovak government said.
Earlier, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico reported that consultations of the European Commission, Slovak and Ukrainian delegations on the issue of halted gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia were to take place in Brussels on January 7.

"Taking into account the fact that the Ukrainian side will not participate in tomorrow's negotiations, the European Commission has decided to cancel the meeting. However, the European Commission, in cooperation with interested parties, is looking for another date when the meeting could take place," the Slovak cabinet said in a statement.

The report notes that the main topic of the planned meeting in Brussels was to stop Ukraine's gas transit to Slovakia.

The agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory, concluded in 2019, expired on December 31, 2024.

Gazprom supplied about 15 billion cubic meters of gas via this route in 2024, which accounted for 4.5% of total consumption in the EU. Throughout 2024, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated that they do not plan to extend the transit agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that there would be no more gas transit contracts through Ukraine.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico previously confirmed that the republic has sufficient gas for domestic consumption, and the price for Slovak households will not rise in 2025, mainly due to the inability of the country to transport gas coming from Ukraine to other European Union countries.
The Slovak authorities have repeatedly stated that they want to preserve the ability to transport gas further West through their territory, as the republic receives about 500 million euros per year in transit fees. Fico previously stated that the republic supports the restoration of gas transit through Ukraine, otherwise the country's losses must be compensated. He also threatened Kiev with the termination of electricity supplies to Ukraine and the reduction of support for Ukrainian citizens who are currently in Slovakia.