Editorial: Le Monde

• One of the major consequences of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine is that Europe has had to end its reliance on Russian gas, a crucial source of income for the Kremlin.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made the political decision to terminate gas transit, depriving Moscow of 6.3 billion euros in annual revenue from the sale of this gas to Europeans.
• Despite the tough economic situation, Ukraine has also deprived itself of the transit rights from which it was getting about 800 million euros.
• For Europeans, the situation is less clear, Russian gas accounted for 19% of EU's imports in September, a significant progress compared to 45% in 2021.
• Russian gas has been largely replaced by liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchased from other countries, mainly Norway and the United States, which is more expensive and requires the construction of specific terminals.

Conclusion: By choosing to completely sever its gas relationship with Moscow, Ukraine has not only ended the paradoxical contract with a country at war, but has also highlighted the slowness of some Europeans to act in accordance to their words.

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