Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin discussed a natural gas agreement with Ukraine Wednesday with Czech Prime Mirek Topolanek, whose country holds the E.U. presidency, Russian news agencies reported.
The prime ministers "expressed their satisfaction with the restarting of gas deliveries to Europe and the resolution of the transit problem in general," the agencies said, citing a Russian government statement.
"Mr. Topolanek expressed his recognition to the Russian side for its efforts to resolve the problem of restarting Russian gas transit to Europe," it said. "Mr. Putin informed the Czech prime minister in detail of the agreements" with Ukraine.
Putin also accepted an invitation from Topolanek to visit Prague, the statement said. "The parties agreed to set a precise date for the visit through diplomatic channels," it said.
The phone conversation took place at the initiative of the Czech Republic, according to the Russian statement.
Russian natural gas has begun flowing back into millions of homes in Europe that had been left without heat because of the pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
European countries vowed Wednesday to avoid a repeat of the crisis, which saw supplies cut for 15 days and showed the danger of dependence on a sole supply source.