MOSCOW, August 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Gazprom has paid an additional $10.54 million for Europe-bound gas transit via Ukraine in July, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said on Thursday.

Gazprom made advance payments to Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz in 2012-2013 to ensure natural gas transit via Ukraine until mid-2014, including a partial payment for July.

Despite Naftogaz’s enormous debt to Gazprom for natural gas supplies and the absence of certificates for the delivery/acceptance of gas transit services and the corresponding invoices, the Russian gas giant made an additional payment to settle its July gas transit bill to honor its contractual obligations as a reliable supplier and partner, the spokesman said.

Gazprom expects Naftogaz to repay its debt for natural gas supplies and ensure unrestricted gas transit across Ukraine, the Gazprom spokesman said.

Ukraine’s Naftogaz stopped paying for Russian natural gas supplies from March 25, 2014. Naftogaz’s debt to Gazprom for natural gas supplied to Ukraine totaled about $5.296 billion as of August 1, 2014 (excluding debts under “take or pay” contractual obligations), including $1.451 billion owed for supplies in November-December 2013 and about $3.845 billion for April-June 2014.