The strategic task of the European Union's Energy Union is to diversify sources and delivery routes of energy in order to guarantee energy security for the EU and make energy prices controllable, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said on Thursday.

In a comment on a suggestion by a journalist at a news conference in Brussels, Sefcovic denied that the Energy Union's activities would deprive Ukraine of incomes from transmitting Russian natural gas to Europe.

He ruled out the possibility of the EU ever being the cause of any anxiety about gas transit through Ukraine. He claimed that there exists excellent cooperation between the EU and Ukraine.

Sefcovic said the EU is closely monitoring volumes of gas stored in Ukraine. Today the country has 8 billion cubic meters in its depots, and this is enough for full-scale transit to Europe. However, he said, it is essential to boost the reserves to 20 billion cubic meters by next winter.

He also said it was up to the Ukrainian government to decide how much to import from Russia and how much to receive through reverse pipeline deliveries from Europe.