European Parliament takes Ukraine’s side in Kyiv’s dispute with Russian Gazprom over gas transit
The European Parliament believes that Russia's refusal to deliver gas to Ukraine is an element of political pressure that can have negative consequences for the European Union, as said in the statement released by the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair David McAllister, Ukrinform reports.
The statement condemned the actions of Gazprom concerning the cessation of gas supplies to Ukraine and further attempts to terminate the contract. "This is yet another proof of the use of gas supplies as a political tool of pressure by the Russian Federation," the document says.
Gazprom had ceased supplying gas after the Stockholm Arbitration Court’s recent ruling in favor of the state-owned joint stock company Naftogaz of Ukraine. It announced its termination of contracts with Naftogaz for the supply and transit of gas.
The authors of the document called for trilateral talks in the EU-Ukraine-Russia format in order to overcome this situation. The European Parliament also believes that the EU should enhance its energy security system by immediately reducing its dependence on gas and oil supplied by authoritarian regimes.