Russia–Ukraine gas disputes

Ukrainian officials at first denied the accusation,[2][3] but later Naftogaz admitted that because of harsh winter (lower than minus 30C) some natural gas intended for other European countries was retained and used for domestic needs.

[17] On 1 January 2025, Ukraine terminated all Russian gas transit through its territory, after the contract between Gazprom and Naftohaz signed in 2019 expired.

However, gas import prices and transit fees remained below European levels for Russian exports to Europe through pipelines in Ukraine; these were set in bilateral negotiations.

There are allegations that the company is controlled by Semion Mogilevich and its beneficiaries include strategically placed officials in the Russian and Ukrainian gas industries and governmental structures related to the energy sector.

[23][25] Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made accusations that RosUkrEnergo is owned by a business ally of Ukraine's ex-president, Viktor Yushchenko.

[31] Gazprom argued that this addendum was only applicable provided that the two countries sign an annual intergovernmental protocol that has higher legal status for specifying the terms of gas transit.

[citation needed] As a result of disputes over non-payments by Ukraine, Russia suspended natural gas exports several times between 1992 and 1994.

This led to the illicit diversion of Russian natural gas exports from transit pipelines by Ukrainian companies and institutions in September 1993 and November 1994.

[citation needed] In March 1994, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister agreed with Russia that Gazprom could acquire a 51% stake in the pipeline system.

These agreements were never implemented, and in November 1995, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted a law prohibiting the privatization of oil and gas assets.

Until 2005 Ukraine was charged $50 per 1,000 c. New CEO of Naftohaz Oleksiy Ivchenko at March 2005 proposed transit price rise to $1.75—2 per 1000 cubic meters.

[3] The European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs and several affected member states warned that blocking of gas deliveries was unacceptable.

[44] Pascal Lamy, director general of the World Trade Organization, expressed the opinion that all Post-Soviet states should pay market prices for their energy needs in order to improve the efficiency of their economies.

[54] At the end of February 2008, Gazprom threatened to reduce the supply of natural gas to Ukraine beginning on 3 March 2008, unless the pre-payment for 2008 was paid.

[68] A Ukrainian delegation including Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan, Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantin Yeliseyev, the President's Representative for Energy Issues Bohdan Sokolovsky, and Deputy Head of Naftohaz Vadym Chuprun visited the Czech Republic as the first stop on a tour of a number EU member states to hold consultations on the gas crisis.

[77] On 5 January 2009, Kyiv's economic court banned Naftohaz from transshipping Russian natural gas in 2009 at the price of $1.60 per 1,600 cubic meters per 100 kilometers.

[78] On 30 March 2010, the Stockholm tribunal ordered Naftohaz to pay RosUkrEnergo around $200 million as a penalty for various breaches of supply, transit, and storage contracts.

[79][80] On 5 January 2009 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin instructed Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller to reduce natural gas exports to Europe via transshipment through Ukraine by quantities equivalent to the amounts of gas which Ukraine had allegedly diverted from the pipelines since deliveries ended on 1 January 2009.

Early on 18 January 2009, after five hours of talks, Putin and Tymoshenko reached a deal to restore gas supplies to Europe and Ukraine.

[105] On 19 January 2009, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and the head of Naftohaz Oleh Dubyna signed an agreement on natural gas supply to Ukraine for the period of 2009–2019.

[1] On 28 December 2009, the Slovakian government announced that Russia warned it would stop oil supplies to Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic over a transit price dispute with Ukraine.

[128] On 15 December 2009, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko stated he expects no problems with Ukraine over gas supplies at New Year.

[130] Following these talks Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was prepared to discuss the revision of the price for natural gas it sells to Ukraine.

[144] On 1 April, Russia's energy minister Alexander Novak said that Gazprom would finance an undersea gas pipeline to Crimea.

[145] On 11 April 2014 the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it had added Chornomornaftagaz to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as part of the third round of U.S.

[147] On 1 April 2014 Gazprom cancelled Ukraine's natural gas discount as agreed in the 17 December 2013 Ukrainian–Russian action plan because its debt to the company had risen to $1.7 billion since 2013.

[150][151] Later that month the price "automatically" jumped to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters because the Russian government annulled an export-duty exemption for Gazprom in place since the 2010 Kharkiv Pact (this agreement was denounced by Russia on 31 March 2014[152]).

[179] On 1 January 2025, Ukraine terminated all Russian gas transit through its territory, after the contract between Gazprom and Naftohaz signed in 2019 expired.

[18][19] This comes a month after President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not allow Russia to use gas transits to earn "additional billions [...] on our blood, on the lives of our citizens".

He demanded to be compensated for the lost renvenue, otherwise his country would stop the delivery of electricity to Ukraine and reduce the support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.