MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities will not be in a rush to reject Russian gas transit despite the contract expiring this year, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s 2nd CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) Department Alexey Polishchuk told TASS in an interview.

"In January, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico presumed continuation of transit [of Russian gas via Ukraine] in 2025 in conclusion of talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmygal. As far as it is known, other Europeans also do not hasten to shut the door on this issue," the diplomat said.

"Shmygal repeatedly noted himself that although Kiev will not hold talks with Moscow and renew the current contract or sign a new one with Gazprom, this can be done by the European Commission or a group of European countries interested in keeping the transit. The Ukrainian government does not exclude the possibility of continuing the transit if the buyer leases capacities of the Ukrainian gas transmission system," he noted.

The topic of continuing Russian gas transit to Europe can be discussed substantively after Gazprom receives specific offers from potential buyers of Russian energy resources.