KIEV, Feb. 7 - Ukraine by the end of March will begin imports of natural gas from Europe via pipelines in Slovakia and Hungary, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Eduard Stavytskiy said Thursday.

The two routes will complement the currently used route of gas supplies via Poland and will help Ukraine to further reduce dependence on Russian gas imports.

“Ukraine plans in the first quarter to start gas supplies from Europe via Hungary and Slovakia,” Stavytskiy told reporters. He said talks over the routes are currently focusing on technical issues.

The comment comes less than two weeks after Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine will increase imports of gas from Europe in response to high Russian gas prices.