Highlights from Gazprom Deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev's remarks on the recent developments regarding the Ukraine-Russia gas situation:

• As agreed, Gazprom started gas transit from Russia to European customers this morning.

• But the gas could not enter Ukraine since the Ukrainian side kept the pipeline closed.

• So, Ukraine is blocking all Gazprom’s actions to resume the transit of natural gas to Europe through Ukraine.

• Ukraine has informed Gazprom it has taken out the gas intended for Europe from the pipeline system to use it for the local consumption.

• Ukraine informed Gazprom that they switched on autonomous regime exclusively for the local consumption of Ukraine. Already on January 1, Ukraine has switched their gas system exclusively to the local consumption.  

• In this situation, Gazprom has no physical way to supply gas to European consumers.

• Ukraine’s actions are outside the agreement with the EU, and the whole responsibility for the blockade of the gas deliveries to Europe fully lies on Ukraine.

• Ukraine did not allow international and Russian monitors to come to the underground storage locations nor to the dispatching centers of the Ukrainian system.

• Gazprom would like to see gas flowing to its European customers. It is already using the existing alternative pipelines (Blue Stream, Yamal1) and the underground storage facilities to compensate the loss of gas.

• Gazprom has informed the European Commission (Energy Commissioner Piebalgs) that it did not have the possibility to restart the gas deliveries to Europe. Gazprom will continue to inform the European Union about further developments.