European Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned EU leaders at a summit today (19 June) that European nations must avoid sleepwalking into another gas crisis, which he said could hit Europe within weeks as tensions between Ukraine and Russia resurface.

Barroso said he had informed EU heads of state and government of difficulties developing for Ukraine to pay for Russian gas.

"It is in fact a major crisis," Barroso said. "We have sent a fact-finding mission to Kiev and Moscow. I have spoken to Prime Ministers [Vladimir] Putin and [Yulia] Timoshenko, to IMF general director [Dominque] Strauss-Kahn and gas industry representatives. There is indeed the risk of another major crisis in weeks, not months, and we must protect European citizens."

Barroso said that in the following week the Commission would host a meeting with representatives of international financial institutions, European gas companies and member countries to look into whether a short-term package of stop-gap funding could be put together.

He added that the Commission had already advised "vulnerable countries" to take immediate measures. During the January gas crisis, Bulgaria and Slovakia proved to be particularly vulnerable, lacking alternative supply sources or sufficient gas storage.