The European Union voiced concern Sunday after Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine, amid growing fears of a knock-on impact on deliveries to the rest of Europe despite Moscow's reassurances.
Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom said it had begun lowering the pressure into Ukraine's gas pipeline system. It followed the expiry of a deadline for Kiev to agree to a four-fold price increase for gas from Russia, the cause of a lingering and increasingly bitter dispute.
Around a fifth of European gas imports come from Russia via Ukraine. Soon after the reduction in pressure, Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz energy company said the move threatened the supply to downstream European countries.