KIEV, Dec. 10 - Ukraine cut Russian natural gas imports this month as it expects gas prices will continue to decline, Andriy Kobolev, the head of the national energy company Naftogaz Ukrayiny, said Tuesday.

“When we see a favorable price – we buy,” Kobolev said at a press conference. “If we believe that the price will be declining, why buy now something that will cost less in a week?”

Ukraine cut Russian gas imports to 10 million cubic meters/day on Tuesday, down from 46.32 million cu m on November 1 and 109.6 million/day on October 26, according to UkrTransGaz, the state gas shipper.