VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. The volumes of Russian gas supplies to Europe will go down if Ukraine refuses to transit it, though "this is their choice," President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

The main consumers of Russian gas in Europe are apparently reluctant to make Ukraine maintain transit though rendering comprehensive assistance to Ukraine, military, financial and "any [support] you like," he said. "However, now Ukraine refuses to transit [Russian gas], which means gas volumes delivered to Europe will decrease. They will flow via other routes, through TurkStream in particular, probably partially through Blue Stream to Turkey again," Putin noted.

Those supplies will also facilitate Europe’s energy stability, he said. "This is their choice though. I don’t know in full how it will affect them," the president added.

Transit is one of obligatory elements of the work on supplies of gas to Europe, Putin noted. "There is a transit contract, which expires on December 31. However, if Ukraine rejects this transit, well, we cannot force it," he said.

The Eastern Economic Forum is underway on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. The main theme of the EEF this year is ‘Far East 2030. Combining strengths to create new potential’. The Roscongress Foundation is the Forum’s organizer. TASS is the general information partner of the EEF.