KIEV, Nov. 6 - Ukraine has started imports of natural gas from Europe as the government seeks alternatives to Russian sources of energy, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Tuesday.

Ukraine was importing about 1 million cubic meters/day of gas from RWE of Germany starting from November 1, and has been using existing gas pipelines.

“We have begun such imports,” Azarov said in a statement released by the government. “These imports do not come on a global scale just yet, but they have started.”

The development underscores a milestone for Ukraine, which has for decades relied only on imports of natural gas from Russia.