Moscow  - Russian energy monopoly Gazprom said Saturday that it had resumed "to a minimal extent" gas deliveries via Ukraine after days of leaving the taps turned off over a payment dispute.

The move was to be understood as a "gesture of good will," Gazprom head Alexei Miller said Saturday in Moscow during a meeting with European energy firms, Interfax news agency reported.

Gazprom said the gas was intended for the hardest hit countries in the Balkans that were suffering from the blockade.

It was unclear when the gas would be pumped into the transit pipelines and in what quantity.

The Russian government had said earlier that gas would only flow again through Ukraine when an international monitoring mission had been secured and Kiev had signed an agreement allowing foreign experts to monitor the pipelines on its soil. (dpa)