Russia had already cut off energy supplies to EU countries like Germany and Poland in the wake of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, a handful of member countries, including Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, have continued to purchase Russian gas despite a bloc-wide commitment to end reliance on Moscow by 2027.

A transnational pipeline was shut down on Wednesday after Kyiv refused to renew a prewar agreement that allowed for the transit of Russian gas through its territory.