MOSCOW (Sputnik) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a weekly address on Saturday she did not expect stops in the deliveries of Russian natural gas through Ukraine.
"No, I do not see risks at the moment…Overall, Russia has proven repeatedly in the past to be a reliable supplier of natural gas," Merkel said.
Merkel added Germany tried to "partially diversify our dependency" on foreign sources of energy, naming southern pipelines that deliver gas from Azerbaijan as an example.
The German leader said she was "very glad" the winter package deal ensuring Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine during the peak consumption period between October 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016, was "as good as signed."
Russian gas supplier Gazprom announced on Monday it had renewed deliveries to Ukraine after receiving $234 million in prepayment out of the agreed $500 from Ukraine’s Naftogaz.
The winter package initialed by Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission late last month ensures the delivery of 2 billion cubic meters of gas to Ukraine’s underground storage at discounted prices.
