Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, left, the head of Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz Oleh Dubina, right, and Russia's state-run natural gas monopoly Gazprom chief Alexei Miller, speak during their visit at the Gazprom headquarters in Moscow, late Monday, Jan. 19, 2009, shortly after the signing of a gas deal between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian gas bound for Europe flowed into Ukraine Tuesday, ending a nearly two-week cutoff which has left large parts of the continent cold and dark and underscored Russia's energy power and the European Union's vulnerability.
MOSCOW, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian gas giant Gazprom resumed gas supply to Europe via Ukraine Tuesday morning, the company said.
The resumption at 10:24 Moscow time (0724 GMT) came after Russia and Ukraine signed gas supply deals that capped a contractual dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which had led to a two-week cutoff of Russian gas deliveries to Europe.
Gazprom reopened its taps to Europe last Tuesday under a three-way agreement signed by the European Union, Ukraine and Russia at a weekendsummit, but no gas had reached Europe at that time.
Russia accused Ukraine of blocking the gas flow, while Ukraine argued that Russia's choice of the gas route was technically "unacceptable."
Russia supplies a quarter of EU's gas needs, 80 percent of which is transited through Ukraine.