(VOVworld) - Slovakia has opened a pipeline to deliver gas from the EU to Ukraine as Kiev grapples with Russian supply cuts ahead of the winter. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told journalists at a gas station near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday that the new link can potentially supply around 20% of Ukraine's current gas consumption. Fico said that the reverse flows from Slovakia, along with existing pipelines from Hungary and Poland, can cover Ukraine's mid-term gas import needs. Last year, Russia supplied half of the 50 billion cubic meters of Ukraine’s gas consumption. The decision to open reverse gas flows eastward is part of the EU's response to Russian company Gazprom's move to cut supplies to Ukraine beginning June 16 after an argument over pricing following Moscow's annexation of Crimea.