BRUSSELS, Sept. 21 ??“ The European Commission has praised the pace of natural gas pumping to Ukraine's underground facilities, saying it will make it possible to meet both the domestic demand and that of the EU for gas transit during the winter season.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday following his meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso said that the EU welcomes the fact that over the past three weeks, Ukraine has been pumping enough gas into the underground facilities to meet the demand of Ukraine and the European Union in the coming winter months.