The European Union is rejecting any connection between the possibility of resuming Russian pipeline gas purchases and peace talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho said on Jan. 30 during a press briefing.
Earlier the same day, the Financial Times (FT) reported that EU officials are discussing the possibility of resuming purchases of Russian pipeline gas as part of a potential settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Proponents of the proposal, including Hungarian and German officials, argued that the move could give Russia and Europe incentives to maintain a peace agreement while stabilizing the continent's energy market, according to the FT.
"We are not making any links to peace talks for the moment. The line has been set on this. Whenever we have such talks when that moment comes, it will be with Ukraine," Pinho said.
"We do not confirm any links reported in the article this morning about any links between the transit of gas through Ukraine and any peace talks," she added.
Before the full-scale war, Russian pipeline gas represented roughly 40% of the EU's overall purchases, with Germany being the chief buyer.
The European Commission aims to eliminate Russian fossil fuels from the European Union's energy market by 2027. Despite the almost complete halt of Russian pipeline gas flowing to the EU, European countries have ramped up purchases of Russia's liquified natural gas (LNG) in 2024.
Previously, Ukraine ended the transit of Russian gas to Europe on Jan. 1, following the end of the contract. Some EU countries, including Hungary and Slovakia, still rely on Russian gas in their energy system.
Following Ukraine's termination of Russian gas transportation through its territory, gas prices in Europe rose by 4.3% to almost 51 euros per megawatt-hour. This rise is the highest since October 2023 and comes ahead of freezing temperatures forecast across much of Europe.
Paula Erizanu
(Updated: )
