Slovakia pledges stable reverse gas supply to Ukraine

Slovakia is ready to ensure uninterrupted reverse natural gas supplies to Ukraine, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said here Thursday.
"Slovakia will abide by its obligations to Ukraine on reverse gas flows," Lajcak told reporters, commenting on Poland's decision to halt reverse gas deliveries to Ukraine.
Lajcak said that Bratislava will adhere to the gas supply agreement signed with Kiev, and Slovakia's pipelines are capable to transit about 40 percent of gas Ukraine imports from Europe.
On Sept. 2, Ukraine started a reverse flow of gas deliveries from Europe through Slovakia following the agreement inked between its state-run company Ukrtransgaz and Slovak pipeline operator Eustream in April.
Gas flows from Slovakia to Ukraine are delivered through the Vojany-Uzhgorod pipeline at a rate of 27 million cubic meters per day.
Apart from Slovakia, Ukraine had been importing gas from the European spot market via Hungary and Poland.
On Wednesday, Poland reportedly cut off reverse gas supplies to Ukraine after Russia reduced gas deliveries to Poland.
The so-called "reverse gas flows" allow gas to flow in the opposite direction to traditional streams of Europe's gas pipelines, which were designed to send gas in only one direction.