KIEV, Nov. 26 - Ukraine’s debts for Russian natural gas rose sharply as the volume of gas accumulated in the country’s underground gas tanks increased due to warmer weather throughout Europe, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Wednesday.

The increasing stocks of gas in Ukrainian gas tanks was also caused by falling demand throughout Europe as financial crisis had been hitting main consumers, such as steelmakers and power plants.

“The European Union and Ukraine, as a result of the financial crisis, greatly reduced consumption of natural gas,” Tymoshenko said at a press conference. “Plus the warm weather that spread on the territory of the EU and Ukraine.”