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This has already been done twice in 2006 and 2009.
CEO of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Kobolyev has said gas transit through Ukraine may be terminated in early 2020 if a new contract is not signed.
"Whether there is a possibility that Gazprom will refuse and try to enter into 2020 without a contract, this has already happened before. Can they turn off the transit? Yes, this has already been done twice, in 2006 and 2009," he told a press conference Friday.
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As UNIAN reported earlier, the current transit contract between Ukraine and Gazprom was signed in 2009 for a period of 10 years. After its expiry (from 2020), the Russian monopoly plans to minimize gas transit through the Ukrainian territory to 10-15 bcm per year.
In order to preserve transit shipments after 2019, Naftogaz and the government suggested entrusting the GTS management to a new independent legal entity and attracting a European partner to this end.