**Russia Stops Sending Gas to EU via Ukraine**
A decades-long agreement between Russia and Ukraine has ended. This means that gas will no longer flow from Russia into the European Union (EU) through Ukraine.
**Why is this important?**
The pipeline that carries Russian gas into Europe starts in Ukraine, near a village called Sudzha. But now, Ukraine is not allowing Russian gas to pass through its territory. This has big consequences for many countries in Eastern Europe.
**What happens next?**
Some countries like Poland and Austria have already reduced their reliance on Russian gas. They are using alternative sources of energy, such as gas from the US, Qatar, and Norway. These countries believe that they can cope without Russian gas.
However, other countries like Slovakia are not as prepared. Slovakia is a key entry point for Russian gas into the EU, and it earned transit fees by piping the gas to other countries. Now, Slovakia will have to pay more for alternative routes, which means its energy prices might rise.
**Who is affected?**
One country that is already suffering is Moldova. It is not part of the EU, but it gets most of its electricity from Russian gas. The end of the transit agreement has left Moldova struggling with power shortages.
The leader of Moldova, Dorin Recean, said that Russia was using “energy as a political weapon” to pressure his country into doing something it didn’t want to do. He accused Russia of trying to destabilize Moldova before a general election in 2025.
**What does this mean for Europe?**
The end of the transit agreement marks a significant shift in the way European countries get their gas. It means that they will have to rely more on alternative sources, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar and the US.
This change is expected to have big strategic and symbolic implications for Europe. Russia has lost an important market, but it claims that EU countries will suffer most.