Ronald Reagan’s wish came true this week. The last gas pipeline to Europe from Russia shut down. The 40th president’s political heir, Donald Trump, stands to reap the benefit.

Russian gas exports via Soviet-era pipelines running through Ukraine came to a halt on New Year's Day, marking the end of decades of Moscow's dominance over Europe's energy markets.

The historic first marks a milestone in Washington’s bid to replace Russia as Europe’s top source of natural gas.

Russia will no longer transport gas to Europe via Ukraine’s pipelines, further limiting its ability to raise capital

Ukraine, which had allowed Russian oil and gas to cross its territory to serve Europe while fighting Moscow’s invasion since 2022, refused to renew the deal.

The move is expected to have limited impact on the continent, which has diversified its energy supplies since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s share of the EU pipeline natural gas market dropped sharply to about 8% in 2023, according to data from the EU Commission. The Ukrainian transit route served EU members Austria and Slovakia, which long got the bulk of their natural gas from Russia but have recently scrambled to diversify supplies.

Slovak PM Robert Fico announced that Slovakia's coalition government will discuss possible retaliatory measures after Ukraine halted the flow of Russian gas through its territory to Slovakia.

As the last of the gas flowing via Ukraine to Europe runs out, Russian gas will no longer be making its way to Europe, marking the end of a decades-long arrangement. Russia had already cut off most supplies through the Baltic and Belarus-Poland pipelines after the Ukraine/Russia war started,