KYIV, Jan 2 – Ukraine is still not ready to return to direct natural gas supplies from Russia and would only do so in the framework of the common European energy market and according to its rules, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba said.

"I think that we are not ripe yet for a return to direct shipments. But that is not even an issue. My goal as the deputy prime minister for European integration is for Ukraine's gas market to function solely under the norms of the European Union, its Third Energy Package, and for our energy industry to be integrated into Europe's. No EU rules prohibit you from buying gas from a certain country," Kuleba said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.