MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Ukraine shuts off Russian gas supplies to European consumers, although existence of Ukraine depends on the West and Europe in particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Q&A session combined with his annual press conference.

"Ukraine shut our gas deliveries to European consumers. On the one part, it ‘picks from their hand,’ because only with support from the West, particularly from Europe, it can exist - not merely fight - exist! At the same time, it creates problems for them by shutting off deliveries of our relatively cheap gas to Europe," the president said.

Ukraine will not opt for the transit of Russian gas after December 31 even if it is purchased by a third country or directly by a country consuming gas in the European Union, Vladimir Zelensky said earlier today at a press conference in Brussels.