Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that the reason for his trip to Russia in late December was Ukraine's refusal to extend Russian gas transit after 2024. Source: Fico in an speech on Wednesday,

Ukraine has halted Russian gas supplies to European customers through its pipeline network, almost three years into Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor

Russia pumped gas on Monday to European customers via Ukraine for one of the last days before a key transit deal expires at the end of the year, marking the almost complete loss of Russia's once mighty hold over the European gas market.