KIEV, Dec. 10 - Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the main shipper of Russian natural gas to the European Union, issued a statement Wednesday assuring customers of secure and steady gas supplies.

The statement comes in response to comments from Alexander Medvedev, a deputy chairman of Gazprom, warning that Russian gas supplies to Ukraine may be disrupted due to delays in payment of $2.4 billion gas debt.