Ukraine has had its gas supplies from Russia cut off due to the ongoing dispute between the two nations, which could lead to a Europe-wide shortage in the coming months.

Gazprom is Europe’s largest gas supplier

Gazprom is Russia’s government-owned gas giant, and has now informed Ukraine that it needs to settle its debt and pay for any future gas supplies upfront.

All supplies passing through Ukraine have not been completely severed, but Gazprom is only sending enough to supply other European countries, meaning Ukraine must pass through all gas from Russia to its bordering nations.

The Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said “We’ll only be supplying the exact amount of gas requested by our European partners to the Russia-Ukraine border.”

Ukraine does have enough gas in reserve to supply itself until December, so the coming months will be critical in resolving the situation one way or another.

Sources: Ukraine crisis: Russia halts gas supplies to Kiev – BBC News