Gazprom Also Cuts Gas Deliveries to Slovakia

Gas flow from Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom to Slovakia contracted 10 percent on Thursday, a top gas supplying company in the country has announced.

Slovakia's SPP has confirmed that supplies have been reduced, the Wall Street Journal and the Ukrainian website ZN.ua report.

Hours earlier Poland's PGNiG also said it had seen deliveries go down 24% on September 9 and another 20 percent the day before.

Slovakia's pipeline operator Eustream declared the move would neither harm its energy security nor prevent if from carrying out reverse supplies to Ukraine, even though the country did not know whether it would have enough gas for the latter purpose if the trend is maintained in the coming days.

Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak also restated his country's commitment to delivering energy to Ukraine.

Reverse supplies have allowed Slovakia to make up for 40% of Russian gas shipments to Ukraine, which were stopped this summer due to a pricing dispute.

Bratislava has agreed that about 10 billion cubic meters a year be pumped to Ukraine, with USD 370 set as the price for thousand cubic meters, some USD 100 less than what Kiev had to pay to Gazprom.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has argued gas from Slovakia would provide substantial assistance "to go through the winter".

Unlike Slovakia, Poland was forced to disrupt reverse supplies to its eastern neighbor.

Gazprom has denied reducing gas deliveries to Poland.

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