Director General of the GTS Operator of Ukraine Serhiy Makogon commented on Gazprom’s refusal to supply gas to Bulgaria and Poland . He called such actions ordinary blackmail. And he noted that countries do not agree to blackmail, which actually requires changing the terms of long-term contracts regarding the currency of payment for gas volumes.

He said this in an exclusive commentary to TSN.ua.

“Gazprom” annually sold Bulgaria 2.2-3 billion cubic meters. m (the contract provides for 2.9 billion) of natural gas, and Poland – from 9.6 to 11 billion cubic meters. m. All conditions are spelled out in the contracts. But “Gazprom” demanded to pay for gas in rubles, which is not stipulated by the contract. In addition, it can be considered as a violation of sanctions by the relevant European companies. This is plain blackmail. Gazprom has once again demonstrated that it is an unreliable gas supplier, using gas as a weapon and means of political influence. Of course, Poland and Bulgaria have the right to sue Gazprom for breach of contract,” he said.

Makogon stressed that Europe’s reaction would be adequate – a quick rejection of Russian energy carriers and the imposition of an embargo on their imports.

“Last year, Russia received almost $260 billion for energy exports, and this year, almost $40 billion since the start of the war. These funds are used to finance aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, we fully support the embargo. stop transit through Nord Stream 1 without any tangible impact on consumers, and the Ukrainian and Polish GTS can temporarily transport the necessary volumes, which will significantly enhance the security of our gas pipelines and weaken the Kremlin’s position,” said the CEO of the GTS Operator of Ukraine.

He added that it is difficult to calculate Gazprom’s logic, because it is based not on market, but on political principles.

“Probably, most of the counterparties are due to pay the bill for the next period, and Gazprom turns to them with its offer to pay in rubles. As you can see, countries do not agree to blackmail, which in fact have a requirement to change the terms of long-term contracts regarding the currency of payment for volumes of gas,” he said.

Answering the question whether these countries can replace the volumes of Russian gas, Makogon noted that Poland had long stated that it did not intend to continue buying gas from Russia after 2022.

“It came out a little earlier. They had long been preparing for a complete rejection of Russian gas, so they invested a lot in diversifying gas supply routes: they built an LNG terminal, a gas pipeline to Norway, gas pipelines to Slovakia and the Baltic countries. Therefore, I don’t see any risks for Poland,” he said .

According to Makogon, Bulgaria has also begun to diversify supplies, a significant part of the gas is already receiving from Azerbaijan through Turkey. Has access to LNG terminals in Greece. The launch of the IGB gas pipeline is planned for the near future.

“In addition, over the past five years, many interconnectors have been built between European countries, which allows for free transportation of gas between countries. Considering this, I do not see big risks for these countries, and for Gazprom, this is the beginning of a rapid loss of the European gas market” , he concluded.

Recall that Poland has declared full independence from Russian gas .

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