North Macedonia began purchasing Azerbaijani gas regularly in early 2026, with Azerbaijani gas accounting for 32% of physical supplies versus 28% for Russian gas in the first two months of the year. Azerbaijani gas is nearly twice as expensive as Russian gas, according to Russia's Ambassador to North Macedonia Dmitry Zykov.
Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zykov says North Macedonia has been reducing Russian gas imports since 2022 against its own economic interests, blindly following EU policy to reject Russian gas by 2027. While Russian gas held 99% of the Macedonian market in 2021, its share dropped to 77% in 2024 and just 47% in 2025. UAE gas supplies began in the second half of 2025, capturing 39% of the market.
Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zykov said North Macedonia's largest political forces supported US President Trump in the Iran conflict, primarily to appeal to Muslim voters. In his first interview in Skopje, Zykov noted that religious solidarity had no significant effect on public opinion, with those criticizing the US-Israeli action remaining a minority.
Russia's Ambassador to North Macedonia Dmitry Zykov says the Russian-Macedonian intergovernmental commission on trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation cannot resume due to Skopje's unfriendly steps. North Macedonia has supported all EU restrictive measures against Russia since 2022, causing mutual trade to plunge by three times and Russian exports to drop fivefold. Russia responded by adding North Macedonia to the list of unfriendly countries and suspending the commission's activities.
Russia’s new ambassador to North Macedonia, Dmitry Zykov, reports that bilateral cooperation remains minimal as most local officials avoid contact with Russian diplomats, though he notes the embassy faces no direct security threats.
Russia's new ambassador to North Macedonia, Dmitry Zykov, criticized Skopje for providing military and technical assistance to Ukraine, stating that such actions align with NATO policies rather than the interests of the Macedonian public.
