Ukraine stops the transportation of gas from Russia to Europe after expired prewar deal

Ukraine on Wednesday stopped the transportation of Russian gas supplies to Europe shortly after a pre-war transit deal expired.

Kyiv refused to renew the agreement that allowed Russian gas to be transferred to Europe and shut down the transitional pipeline, according to The New York Times.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko said stopping the gas flow was in the best interest of the country's national security. 

“This is a historic event. Russia is losing markets and will incur financial losses. Europe has already decided to phase out Russian gas, and (this) aligns with what Ukraine has done today,” Galushchenko said, according to the Associated Press. 

Before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia supplied almost 40% of the European Union's pipeline natural gas.

This decision will impact countries such as Germany, which gets its energy resources from Russia.