RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And with China now set to be a major customer for Russia's natural gas, it's worth recalling that Russia is also Europe's main supplier.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
A lot of that gas passes through Ukraine on the way to Western Europe and Russia is threatening to cut off Ukraine's supply unless it pays its bills in advance. Such a cutoff would worry the leaders of Western European nations about the stability of their own gas supplies.
MONTAGNE: Today, the head of the European Union warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Europe expects its natural gas to keep flowing. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.