The Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov, announced the country’s intention to completely stop the transit of Russian gas by 2026. According to him, Bulgaria will join the European Union’s collective decisions to suspend contracts for the use and transportation of Russian natural gas.
This is reported by Finway
“Regarding the call from President Donald Trump made during the General Assembly session, we, as part of the European Union, will join the bloc’s decisions to suspend, in the short term — by 2026, contracts for the use or transit of Russian natural gas,” Zhelyazkov stated.
Bulgaria’s Plans for Gas Import
Zhelyazkov added that by 2028, Bulgaria plans to completely eliminate Russian gas from its own energy market. Currently, gas consumption in the country, for both industrial needs and households, is supplied through the import of liquefied gas arriving via specialized terminals.
Europe’s Dependence on Russian Gas
After the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine was halted, Hungary receives fuel through the “Turkish Stream” pipeline and its branches in Bulgaria and Serbia, after which it partially transfers it to Slovakia. Meanwhile, Slovakia and Hungary have already expressed their intention to resist U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands to reduce imports of Russian oil and gas until the EU secures a sufficient number of alternative energy sources.
In addition to Hungary and Slovakia, among the European Union countries that still purchase Russian gas are Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. They receive liquefied gas from Novatek under long-term contracts.
The European Union has set a goal to completely abandon the import of Russian fuel by 2027. This course was adopted following the onset of Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine in 2022. To achieve this goal, the European Commission has developed a detailed “roadmap” with specific steps for the gradual phase-out of Russian energy resources.