Kiev- Ukraine's natural gas pipeline system needs an additional injection of fuel before deliveries to Europe can resume, a senior official in Kiev said Wednesday.

"We have asked for the assistance of the European Commission in resolving the problem of 'technical gas'," said Yury Prodan, Ukraine's Minister of Fuel and Energy.

"This is gas without which it is impossible to make transit shipments (to Europe)," he said.

Pressure in Ukraine's pipeline system has fallen substantially because of a two-week embargo by Russia on gas deliveries, Prodan explained.

The gas needed to raise pressure to sufficient levels in a pipeline system to be capable of delivering volume to a receiver, is throughout the former Soviet Union called "technical gas."

Ukrainian officials last week said Russia should give Ukraine some 9.5 million dollars' worth of gas free of charge, to raise pressure in the system. Russia should foot the bill as it was the Kremlin that embargoed gas deliveries to Ukraine, officials in Kiev have argued.

Alexei Miller, chairman of the Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom, rejected the idea on Monday, saying if Ukraine required gas to make its pipeline system function, it should buy it.

Responsibility for technical gas augmentation is one of several issues dividing Kiev and the Kremlin on natural gas deliveries. The biggest conflicts are over pricing of gas sold to Ukraine, and transit fees to Russia for gas shipped through Ukraine to Europe.

The policy thus far has produced few positive results, as Russia and Ukraine both have refused to renew gas deliveries to Europe, blaming technical energy issues as the cause. (dpa)