Russian gas through Slovakia continues, supplies to Ukraine halted

The transit of Russia's gas through Slovakia continues, while it's gas supplies to Ukraine have been halted, said Slovak Economy Minister Vazil Hudak after a government session on Wednesday.

Hudak was speaking in reaction to a recent decision on the part of Russian gas company Gazprom to halt gas supplies from Russia to Ukraine.

"Gas supplies for European consumers, for Eustream, and therefore also for Slovakia, continue," stressed Hudak, adding that transit supplies of gas to Slovakia haven't even been reduced, unlike the situation seen during the winter.

According to earlier reports, Ukraine on Wednesday suspended natural gas imports from Russia as EU-brokered talks in Vienna failed to reach agreement on pricing, Ukraine's national energy firm Naftogaz said.

The suspension will not affect the flow of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine, said the press service of Naftogaz in a statement.

Naftogaz expects that Kiev and Moscow will reach soon a new gas pricing arrangement, which would cover Russian gas supplies to Ukraine till April 2016, it said.