On Thursday the European Union said that gas supplies would resume after agreeing with Russia on supervising the gas flow through Ukraine.

Due to a payment dispute Russia cut off the natural gas it sends to Europe through the Ukraine on Wednesday.

Russia accused its former Soviet neighbor of stealing about 15 percent the gas it ships across Ukraine to European states. Ukraine denies this.

Ukraine has stolen gas not from Russia, but from consumers who have bought the product and paid for it, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in televised remarks earlier this week.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country holds the EU presidency, said a deal brokered with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had agreed on how monitors should check the amount of Russian gas entering and leaving Ukraine.

According to the Czech government, this agreement should lead to the Russian supplies of gas to EU member states being restored.

At least 15 nations have been affected by the gas supply suspension. The affected nations are Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.

Ukraine's reaction to this agreement was not immediately known.

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