KIEV, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine on Wednesday stopped the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe following the expiration of a five-year transportation agreement, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said.

"At 07:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), in the interests of national security, the transportation of Russian natural gas through the territory of Ukraine was stopped," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has notified its international partners of the termination of the gas transit in line with the established procedures, the statement said.

The Ukrainian gas transportation system has been prepared in advance to operate in a zero transit mode, ensuring reliable gas supply to Ukrainian consumers, it said.

On the same day, Russian energy giant Gazprom said that it has stopped gas supply for transit through Ukraine due to expiration of key agreements and the lack of renewal by the Ukrainian side.

The gas transit agreement between Ukraine's state-run energy company Naftogaz and Russia's gas giant Gazprom, which was signed in December 2019, expired on Tuesday.

Last year, Ukraine transported 15.43 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe, up 5.7 percent from 2023, according to media reports. ■