Genuinely curious because I have no idea how these things work on an international level…
But why are they continuing to do so in the first place?
It seems pretty obvious to me that if you are in conflict with someone, you cut off whatever they have going on in your house.
And “because it was going to people who had nothing to do with the conflict” is not a sufficient answer, in my opinion. It’s still directly supporting the aggressors.
Again, genuinely curious and would like a real answer.
Obviously it’s because the gas goes to Europe, which until recently was very dependent on Russian natural gas. Europe is Ukraine’s ally. Ukraine needs Europe’s military aid and shutting off the gas would make things hard for Europe and potentially upset them.
And presumably Ukraine is getting a cut of the profits too.
Yes, Ukraine is paid for this by Russia
They probably calculated that keeping their contractual obligations to the west who are the main supporters outweighs the monetary benefits Russia gets from the sale of the gas.
I’m guessing fucking over the population of your main supporters in the war isn’t the best strategic move. But if the contract expires they have a solid excuse, also Europe has pretty much figured out it’s gas issues at this point
Fair warning to those importing it.