Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Bulgaria will halt Russian gas transit for short-term contracts by 2026, aligning with the EU's plan to cut Russian gas imports. Bulgaria is shifting to alternative gas sources.
SOFIA (Reuters) -Bulgaria will suspend Russian gas transit for short-term contracts in 2026 as part of European Union plans to cut off Russian gas imports completely, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told Bulgarian news agency BTA.
The European Union initially planned to cut off imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, which would end decades-old energy relations with a country that was once Europe's biggest gas supplier.
But last week EU officials said the bloc planned to bring that forward by a year
"As a member of the EU, we will join the decision to suspend, in the short term, in 2026, contracts for the use or transit of Russian natural gas, and in the long term, by 2028," BTA quoted Zhelyazkov as saying on Wednesday.
European Union member Bulgaria, which had been totally dependent on Russian gas until 2022, has been seeking to diversify its gas supplies and find cheaper sources.
The Russian gas was substituted with Azeri gas and liquefied natural gas from a terminal in Greece.
(Reporting by Georgi SlavovWriting by Ivana SekularacEditing by David Goodman)
Gas transit refers to the transportation of natural gas through pipelines from one country to another. It is a critical component of energy supply chains, particularly for countries reliant on imported gas.
The European Union's energy strategy aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, particularly from Russia, by diversifying energy sources and increasing the use of renewable energy.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state for easier storage and transport. It is used to supply energy to countries that lack pipeline infrastructure.
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