BERLIN, July 30. /TASS/. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said members of the European Union had halved purchases of Russian natural gas since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.

He told the Deutsche Welle media company (DW, deemed a foreign agent in Russia) that deliveries from Russia made up about 40% of all gas purchased by European Union members before the operation began. "By now it has dropped to 20%," Borrell said.

He added that purchases of Russian gas cannot be halted "overnight."

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow's plans did not include an occupation of Ukrainian territories, its goals being the demilitarization and denazification of the country. In response, the West began to gradually introduce sweeping sanctions against Moscow and to supply weapons and military equipment to Kiev estimated at billions of dollars.