Reuters: Putin says gas transit to Europe via Ukraine still problematic
Russian natural gas transit through Ukraine to Europe is still problematic and alternative supply routes, such as the planned South Stream pipeline, should be used to solve the issue, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview.
Moscow halted gas supplies to Ukraine in June over unpaid debts and pricing disagreement.
This has sparked concerns about the possible disruption of Russian gas supplies which transit Ukraine en route to Europe, something which has occurred twice in the past decade.
"As for the future of Russian gas exports to Europe, the problem of transit across the Ukrainian territory remains. One of the more obvious solutions might be to diversify the delivery routes," Putin told the Serbian daily Politika, ahead of a visit.