Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to transit gas to Europe from Azerbaijan

KYIV - Ukraine stands ready to transit natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe and a contract could be inked quickly if an agreement can be reached, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We can use our infrastructure” to transit the Azerbaijani gas, Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Jan 25 after meeting Moldovan President Maia Sandu to discuss a gas supply crisis in Ukraine’s neighbour. 

“We can sign a contract quickly if there is political will,” Mr Zelensky added, saying he was waiting for a “signal” from Slovakia and other countries.  

Energy companies in the region have previously floated options such as complex gas swops involving Azerbaijan’s energy company Socar as mediator. 

Russian gas

stopped flowing to Europe via Ukraine

in January after a long-term transit contract ended and Kyiv closed off a route that’s operated for five decades. 

The route has recently accounted for just 5 per cent of Europe’s needs, but

countries including Slovakia

and Hungary were still taking delivery of significant volumes from Russia.

Mr Zelensky said he met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Davos this week, with gas supplies one of the topics. 

The details of those talks haven’t been disclosed; Socar did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of regular working hours. 

“We discussed with him that he can export via Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said. “He can use our infrastructure if really countries in Eastern Europe need gas.”

Azerbaijan increased natural gas production by 4.3 per cent in 2024, to 50.6 billion cubic metres, and half of it was exported, according to the nation’s energy ministry. 

Still, the route of any transit arrangement and the extent of available supplies isn’t immediately clear.

Azerbaijan in 2024 was mentioned as a potential intermediary in a deal that would replace Russian gas transit via Ukraine.

The direct transit accord between Moscow and Kyiv ended on Dec 31. 

Azerbaijan has repeatedly said it needs firm commitments from European buyers if it is to boost its production and transport capacity.

The direct pipeline from Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey is fully booked under existing contracts. 

Russia’s Gazprom also stopped gas supplies to Moldova

from January, citing unpaid debt accumulated by Moldovagaz, nation’s gas distributor.

That’s led to a supply crisis in Moldova’s pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria. 

After his meeting with Ms Sandu, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to supply free coal to a power plant in the Moldovan city of Tiraspol, and also help operate the facility, if Moldova in return will direct its electricity surplus to its neighbour. 

Ms Sandu and Mr Zelensky accused Russia of orchestrating an energy crisis in the former Soviet republic of about 2.5 million people to undermine

Moldova’s pro-European government.

 

The plant in Tiraspol, the largest city in the Transnistria region, could produce 2 gigawatts, enough to cover all of the electricity demand in Moldova and potentially allow it to cut prices by 30 per cent, Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s energy grid has been badly degraded by a series of Russian missile strikes since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in 2022, and especially over the past year. BLOOMBERG