ST. PETERSBURG, May 23. /ITAR-TASS/. European leaders have not given a clear reply to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s addresses devoted to the Ukrainian gas debt problem, Putin said at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.

“Unfortunately, we have not received a clear and direct answer yet, all the same, we hope for an adequate, well-balanced response from our partners,” he said.

The president said with confidence that current problems in this sphere were accomplishable. “For this only a constructive dialogue is needed, I has voiced this position in my addresses to European leaders,” he noted.

In the view of Putin, an adequate response from Europeans would meet “our common interests - interests of Russia, Ukraine and European countries.”

He pledged that Russia “has always cherished its reputation of a reliable supplier of energy resources in Europe.”

“Current risks and they emerge, we are not blamed that they had emerged with gas supplies on the European continent, and it should be said straightforwardly that in this issue and everybody understands this that a transit country - Ukraine is to blame for them, as the latter abuses its position as a transit country of our gas to Europe, “ the president said.

He named current situation paradoxical as Ukraine had signed the contract in 2009, has fulfilled it for several years, and now the country refuses to pay “insisting on benefits not envisaged in the contract.