Politico reported that speaking at a press conference in Kiev on January 25 with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that he had had detailed discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev about this plan.
"Azerbaijan has a large gas export capacity, with a capacity of 25 billion cubic meters of gas. We can use our infrastructure if European countries need gas. But not Russian gas" - President Zelensky affirmed.
The statement came as Slovakia and Hungary reacted strongly to Kiev's refusal to extend the Russian gas transit contract through Ukraine. The contract expired at the end of 2024, cutting off gas supplies from Russia to Central Europe via Ukraine.
"They (Russia) will not be able to profit from us anymore. But Azerbaijan? We are ready to let them benefit. We are also willing to help Slovakia and other countries in Europe. We can sign contracts right away and implement them quickly" - President Zelensky emphasized.
However, many experts are skeptical about Azerbaijan’s ability to meet Europe’s gas needs. “Azerbaijan is trying to position itself as an important energy partner for the EU, but in reality, it doesn’t have enough production to meet it,” said Aura Sabadus, a gas market expert at ICIS.
According to Ms Sabadus, a deal with Baku could involve “re-sourcing” – that is, Russian gas being rebranded as Azerbaijani gas, which could be controversial.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban threatened to veto the extension of EU sanctions against Russia if Ukraine does not restore Russian gas transit.
"If Ukraine wants to receive support, for example to maintain sanctions against Russia, it needs to reopen the gas pipeline and allow Central European countries, including Hungary, to import the gas we need through Ukraine," Mr. Orban said.
The issue of Russian-Azerbaijani gas transit is expected to be at the center of the EU's high-level diplomatic meeting on January 27. Ukraine's decision not only increases tensions with allies such as Hungary and Slovakia, but also puts Europe in a difficult situation during the winter and energy supplies become more precarious than ever.
