The European Commission has explicitly rejected any connection between resuming Russian gas purchases and potential peace talks regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, according to statements made by European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho during a 30 January press briefing.
Earlier the same day, the Financial Times published a report, claiming that EU officials were discussing the possibility of resuming Russian pipeline gas purchases as part of a potential war settlement.
Responding to questions about the report, Pinho said,
“We’re not making any links to peace talks for the moment. The line has been set on this. Whenever we have such talks, when that moment comes, it will be with Ukraine,” she emphasized.
She denied the FT’s report, saying:
“We do not confirm any links reported in the article this morning about any links between the transit of gas through Ukraine and any peace talks.”
Pinho also reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to reducing Russian energy imports, referring to statements by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and the implementation of the REPowerEU plan. The plan aims to gradually phase out Russian gas imports.
The Financial Times stated that Hungarian and German officials backed a proposal to link Russian gas transit resumption to Ukraine-Russia peace talks, arguing it could incentivize both Russia and the EU to uphold a peace deal while stabilizing the energy market.
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