Sudzha is the last remaining operational transit point for Russian natural gas to Western and Central Europe. (Source: AFP)

Currently, Gazprom supplies about 42 million cubic meters of gas per day to Europe via Ukraine, via the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline, which runs through Sudzhain, Kursk region, near Ukraine.

Sudzha is the last remaining operational transit point for Russian natural gas to Western and Central Europe.

About 14.65 billion cubic meters of Moscow gas will be supplied via Sudzha in 2023, equivalent to about half of Russia's gas exports to Europe.

Meanwhile, the European Union's (EU) gas consumption fell to 295 billion cubic meters last year. However, the amount of gas transported by Moscow via Kiev increased by 10.5% in the January-July period compared to the same period last year, to 8 billion cubic meters.

The gas pipelines are part of the Ukrainian corridor, which provides gas transportation services in the direction of Slovakia.

* Most EU countries have reduced their dependence on Russian gas following the conflict in Ukraine.

Previously, the main recipients of Moscow gas via Ukraine included Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Moldova.

Austria still receives most of its gas consumption via Ukraine, while other countries have diversified their supplies and implemented measures to reduce demand.

The gas transit contract through Ukraine - Moscow and Kiev's only commercial contract - expires at the end of this year.

Last year, Moldova - one of Europe's poorest countries - imported all of its gas from European markets.

According to research by the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University (USA), Croatia's gas imports are currently very low and Slovenia's have dropped to almost zero after gas supplier Geoplin's contract with Gazprom ended last year.

Earlier this year, the European Commission announced that alternative gas supplies were available.

Austria can import from Italy and Germany, and its energy companies say they have taken precautions against a possible halt in Russian gas supplies.

Meanwhile, Hungary relies on Russian gas but via a different route: the TurkStream gas pipeline while Slovenia gets gas from Algeria and other sources.

The 27-member bloc and Kiev have also asked Azerbaijan to facilitate discussions with Russia regarding the gas transit deal, an adviser to the Azerbaijani president revealed.

The EU has been working to diversify its gas imports and signed an agreement to double gas imports from Azerbaijan to at least 20 billion cubic meters per year by 2027.

However, Reuters sources said that the infrastructure and finance are not yet ready to facilitate this expansion.