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Ukraine has halted the flow of Russian natural gas through its territory to Europe. The decision took effect on Wednesday morning after a long-standing deal between the two nations expired.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Herman Galushchenko, hailed the move as a “historic event” that will hurt Russia financially. He had previously hinted at plans to stop the gas transit and had discussed the matter with neighboring countries.
Before the stoppage, Russia exported a significant amount of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine. Slovakia was among the nations that urged Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement to continue the transit.
Russia’s Gazprom confirmed the halt, stating that Ukraine had refused to extend the deal. The company estimates that around 40 billion cubic meters of gas passed through Ukraine annually under the expired agreement.