Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Ukraine, Russia and the EU have called on Azerbaijan to continue transiting Russian gas through Russian and Ukrainian territory.
The Azerbaijani leader stated this information in a speech at the International Forum in Cernobbio, Italy, according to Ukrnanews.
"Russia, Ukraine and European organizations have contacted us about continuing gas transit through Ukrainian territory," he said.
According to President Aliyev, Azerbaijan has been negotiating for months. "If the transit stops - which is expected to happen in December - some countries of the European Union will have serious problems with gas supplies. We just want to support these countries and Ukraine because if the gas transit stops, the Ukrainian gas distribution system will be completely paralyzed," he said.
President Aliyev also noted that through the mediation of Azerbaijan, the EU and Ukraine are negotiating the continuation of Russian gas transit and the supply of Azerbaijani gas via Russia and Ukraine to Europe.
Russian gas from the West Siberian gas fields is delivered through pipelines to the Russian-Ukrainian border and into the Ukrainian gas pipeline system. The Ukrainian gas pipeline delivers gas to the European Union at the Ukraine-Slovakia border, then transfers it through branches to Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
Before the 2022 conflict, Ukraine and Russia had reached a five-year deal under which Russia agreed to send a certain amount of gas through Ukraine's pipeline system to Europe. Russia's Gazprom makes money from the gas while Ukraine collects transit fees.
The gas transit agreement is valid until the end of 2024. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of extending or renewing this agreement.
Before the conflict, Russia supplied about 40% of Europe’s gas consumption via pipeline. Russian gas travels through four pipeline systems: Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea, Belarus and Poland, Ukraine and the fourth, Turk Stream under the Black Sea through Turkey to Bulgaria.
After the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, Russia cut off most of the supplies through the Baltic and Belarus-Poland pipelines. Then the Nord Stream pipeline system , including Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2, in the Baltic Sea exploded and the culprit has not been found yet.
