Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled energy group, on Wednesday said it had secured an agreement from Ukraine’s government to pay $1.3bn (€921m, £639m) in natural gas arrears by November 1, thus avoiding potential cuts in supplies.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Gazprom chairman and Russia’s first deputy prime minister, said that following talks with Yury Boiko, Ukraine’s energy minister, “we have reached agreement to avoid such problems in the future”. He added: “Euro­pean consumers won’t suffer. European consumers are in an absolutely comfortable situation.”