The contract for Russian gas is toxic. The gas is replaceable. Let’s move on.
That’s the logic many European officials have adopted as a multibillion-dollar deal keeping Russian gas pumping through Ukraine into the European Union nears expiration at year’s end. And the data shows they’re broadly right: The EU can generally go elsewhere for that gas.
Yet for a few countries — primarily Austria, Slovakia and Hungary — the prospect poses a costly dilemma that could ripple across Europe.
Unlike much of the bloc, the three haven’t yet weaned themselves off Russian gas. For reasons both political and pragmatic, each country has stayed connected to Moscow’s energy, reaping cost benefits in the process. The Ukraine pipeline has provided the critical link.
