KYIV, June 28 - The decision of the European Council, obliging EU countries to fill gas storage facilities by 80% by November 1, allows European countries to store strategic gas reserves in Ukraine, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said.

I welcome this decision, because it demonstrates that Europe realistically assesses the threats and risks of next winter in the context of Russia’s energy aggression directed not only against Ukraine, but also against the entire European continent," he wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.