Energy ministers from the G7 group of leading world economies have agreed to help Ukraine after Russia threatened to halt gas supplies over unpaid bills in a move that could create havoc in Europe.
"We remain united in our determination to provide various types of assistance that Ukraine needs to strengthen its energy security," the ministers said in a joint statement after the energy meeting in Rome on Tuesday.
"We are extremely concerned by the energy security implications of developments in Ukraine, as a consequence of Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," they said.
"Energy should not be used as a means of political coercion nor as a threat to security," said the ministers of the G7, which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
The meeting was preparation for a G7 summit in June which had been scheduled to be held in Russia but was moved to Brussels as part of diplomatic and economic sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
The ministers praised the European Commission's efforts to identify possible routes for reverse gas flow to Ukraine in case Russian supplies are halted and "to develop emergency plans for winter 2014-2015".
France's Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development Minister Segolene Royal told reporters: "We wanted to use this crisis to accelerate access to new technologies for countries that are excessively dependent."
The joint statement underlined the importance of Europe diversifying its energy supplies - code for decreasing its reliance on Russian gas imports - and ensuring a better mix between hydrocarbons and renewable energy.
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