MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/. The United States, the European Union’s authorities and the Kiev regime are responsible for the shutdown of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
"Notably, the Kiev authorities decided to end the transit of Russian gas to European countries even though the Gazprom company was complying with its contract obligations," the statement reads. "The responsibility for the shutdown of Russian gas supplies lies entirely with the United States, the puppet Kiev regime and the authorities of European countries that sacrificed the wellbeing of their people in order to provide financial support to the US economy," Zakharova pointed out.
"The cessation of the supplies of reasonably priced and environmentally friendly energy from Russia not only weakens Europe’s economic potential but is also negatively affecting the living standards of Europeans. The geopolitical background of the Kiev regime’s decision is perfectly clear. It is the US - the key sponsor of the Ukraine crisis - that is the main beneficiary from the redistribution of the European energy market," the Russian diplomat stressed.
Gas transit through Ukraine
The agreement on Russian gas transit via Ukraine, which expired on January 1, provided for the transportation of 40 bln cubic meters of Russian gas through Ukraine annually. However, Kiev’s refusal to extend the deal forced the Russian company Gazprom to stop gas transit on the morning of January 1, the gas giant said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that there would definitely be no new contract for Russian gas transit because it’s not possible to make an agreement just days before the New Year. Kiev, in turn, announced plans to stop Russian gas transit.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is ready to resume gas transit based on a request from the European Commission as long as gas is not considered as "Russian," while the Russian president pointed to the possibility of contracts with third parties, namely Turkish, Hungarian, Slovak and Azerbaijani companies.