The European Union (EU) said on Wednesday it was strongly concerned cuts in gas supply to Lithuania, following the Russia-Belarus gas dispute, Xinhua reported.
"International commitments on gas supply must be respected unconditionally. Gas cuts as some of our member states are witnessing now are not acceptable," Gunther Oettinger, EU commissioner responsible for energy, said in a statement.
"This is an affront against the whole European Union," he added.
The Lithuanian government confirmed Wednesday that Russian gas supplied via the national Belarus gas pipeline system has been cut by around 50 percent, one day after Russian gas company Gazprom decided to cut gas supplies to Belarus claiming an outstanding debt of 190 million U.S. dollars.
Lithuania is 100 percent dependent on Russian gas transiting Belarus. The commission said Poland and Germany may also be affected, but the two countries could use Russian gas delivered via Ukraine.
The EU said 6.25 percent of its gas consumed is delivered via Belarus and could potentially be affected by the dispute.
The commission said it is in close contact with national authorities to monitor the situation.