05:02Russia: Ukraine calls Russia 'an aggressor' but 'successfully cashes in on transit' of Russian gas to Europe - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Kiev called Moscow 'an aggressor' but also 'successfully cashes in on the transit' of Russian gas to Europe, during a plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum on Wednesday.
"There are two gas pipelines through Ukraine - Ukraine has closed one of them. We did not do that. By the way, we use the second line to supply gas to Europe and Ukraine, despite calling us an aggressor, successfully cashes in on the transit. We are fulfilling all our obligations completely," Putin said.
In addition, the Russian leader stressed the importance of 'building new sustainable logistical chains and accelerating the development of international routes'.
"We attach great importance to this work, both within the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) and beyond, including the North-South Corridor project," the president added.
Ukrainian officials have maintained commercial deals with Moscow despite the conflict, although the transit fees have not been disclosed.
According to media reports, Russia sends over 200,000 barrels of oil a day through Ukraine’s Druzhba pipeline, on to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Under a deal signed before the conflict, Russia also pumps around 40 billion cubic metres of gas through Ukraine’s system each year.
Oleksiy Chernyshov, chief executive of Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz, told the Washington Post that Ukraine must uphold its contractual obligations, claiming the decision to end transit lies with the recipient countries, and said that it had not been stopped already 'in order not to make other countries that are supporting Ukraine freeze'.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
05:02Mandatory credit: Eurasian Economic Forum
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Kiev called Moscow 'an aggressor' but also 'successfully cashes in on the transit' of Russian gas to Europe, during a plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum on Wednesday.
"There are two gas pipelines through Ukraine - Ukraine has closed one of them. We did not do that. By the way, we use the second line to supply gas to Europe and Ukraine, despite calling us an aggressor, successfully cashes in on the transit. We are fulfilling all our obligations completely," Putin said.
In addition, the Russian leader stressed the importance of 'building new sustainable logistical chains and accelerating the development of international routes'.
"We attach great importance to this work, both within the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) and beyond, including the North-South Corridor project," the president added.
Ukrainian officials have maintained commercial deals with Moscow despite the conflict, although the transit fees have not been disclosed.
According to media reports, Russia sends over 200,000 barrels of oil a day through Ukraine’s Druzhba pipeline, on to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Under a deal signed before the conflict, Russia also pumps around 40 billion cubic metres of gas through Ukraine’s system each year.
Oleksiy Chernyshov, chief executive of Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz, told the Washington Post that Ukraine must uphold its contractual obligations, claiming the decision to end transit lies with the recipient countries, and said that it had not been stopped already 'in order not to make other countries that are supporting Ukraine freeze'.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.