MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The risks to the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine still remain, causing concern over the future of stable deliveries, the CEO of Russia's energy giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said on Wednesday.
"The risks to stable supplies of Russian gas to European consumers though Ukraine remain. And this situation, naturally, causes concern," Gazprom press service said in a statement quoting Miller.
According to Miller, the European demand for Russian natural gas is steadily growing, while the gas reserves at Ukrainian underground storage facilities are depleting "by the minute."
In June 2014, Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment scheme citing its massive gas debt. Ukraine's energy firm Naftogaz refused to buy gas from Gazprom in October 2015 due to high prices, saying it had other suppliers in Europe.
The European Union intervened in late 2015 to ensure uninterrupted gas transit through Ukraine.
