UKRAINIAN Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, speaking after a gas agreement with Russia was hammered out, says Ukraine would guarantee deliveries of gas through its territory to Europe to make sure Moscow had no room for "blackmailing".
Mr Yatseniuk criticised Russia's South Stream project to transport Russian gas through the Black sea to Europe and added: "Ukraine will guarantee transit.
"Ukraine will not give Russia the means of blackmailing it and Europe with different flows."
Ukraine, Russia and the EU signed a deal late on Thursday that will see Moscow resume vital supplies of gas to its ex-Soviet neighbour over the winter in return for payments funded in part by Kiev's Western creditors.
After several failed rounds of talks in recent weeks as conflict rumbles on despite a ceasefire with pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, the accord also eases concerns that a new "gas war" could disrupt winter supplies of energy to EU states, notably through pipelines shut down across Ukraine since June.
Mr Yatseniuk said he would hold talks with the International Monetary Fund on funding the gas deal.
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