Russian natural gas deliveries to Romania dropped by 30% to 40% starting Friday night as the dispute between Russia and Ukraine over Kiev's unpaid debt to Moscow unfolded. The situation may lust until Sunday, January 4, the head of Romanian gas transport company Transgaz Ioan Rusu told Romanian news agency NewsIn. For the time being, the diminishing gas imports from Russia has not been felt by business or private consumers as the difference was covered from domestic resources.The volume of Romania's daily natural gas imports usually amounts to 10 million cubic meters and it dropped by 3 million cubic meters on Friday evening, Rusu said. He assured Romania was ready to deal with a drop in gas deliveries as it can use its own reserves.
Importer RWE Transgas has reported a five percent drop in natural gas supplies to the Czech Republic from Russia. According to the firm, the drop is related to an ongoing dispute between Russia and Ukraine. A spokesman called the development the "first signal of the Russia-Ukraine crisis in the Czech Republic", adding there would be no effect on Czech customers thanks to reserves and alternative supplies from Norway. Russia cut off shipments to Ukraine on January 1 in a dispute over prices and on Saturday energy giant Gazprom charged that Ukraine was illegally siphoning off supplies intended for EU countries. Others who have seen a drop in supplies include Hungary and Poland.
