Ukraine would be able to satisfy its natural gas needs through its own gas production and imports from the European Union if Russia halted its gas exports because of a potential escalation of the conflict between the two countries, the Ukrainian energy minister said on Friday.

Ukraine would be able to import about 20 billion cubic meters of gas per year or about 50 million cubic meters per day via Slovakia, Yuriy Prodan told parliament. "With the addition of Poland and Hungary - which is another 20 million cubic meters of gas per day, - we would be able to get through the heating season," he said.

He was referring to a proposal for importing European gas by using pipelines laid for exporting Russian gas to Europe in the reverse direction.

"We would make urgent purchases of gas to be supplied via the reverse use of pipelines, and we will do this on the terms that have been suggested by European gas-supplying companies directly. We are planning it would be Germany's RWE and the French gas company," he said.

He made the reservation that, for this scenario to be put to use, the EU would need enough gas to share with Ukraine, and that this meant Russia keeping its gas exports to the EU at the current level.

He said Ukraine, however, still hoped to reach a compromise with Russia and agree on an economically justified and not a "political" gas price.