Hungary Suspends Gas Supplies to Ukraine 'Indefinitely'

Hungary's gas operator FGSZ suspended natural gas supplies to Ukraine for an indefinite period of time, Thursday.

Ukraine has been receiving gas from Hungary, Poland and Slovakia since Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine in June in a dispute over unpaid bills.

Ukraine's state-owned gas firm, Naftogaz, called the move "unexpected and unexplained", the BBC reports.

"Gas supplies have been halted for an indefinite period of time," the Hungarian company said in a statement, as quoted by Itar-Tass. "In order to manage the security supply and preserve the network balance, the Beregdarуc network point connection has to be altered to enable all pipelines to be suited for inward transmission," FGSZ said.

Meanwhile, Hungary has reached an agreement with Russia's natural gas monopoly Gazprom on increased gas supply to the country during the autumn-winter period, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

As winter is approaching fears are growing that Ukraine will be unable to heat homes and power industry without Russian gas.

On Friday Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers are holding a European Union brokered meeting in Berlin aimed at avoiding such crisis.