Officials from various corners of Europe acknowledged Wednesday that Russia had trimmed a fraction of its natural gas deliveries, but said they were confident that supplies would be sufficient to withstand the most intense run of cold weather thus far this winter.

Russian natural gas supplies to Italy from OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) were 11.6% below requested amounts, according to data from the Italian grid operator. Officials from the Czech Republic and Hungary also reported small drops in gas inflows. Some other key European pipeline and grid operators said Russian imports were coming in at normal levels.

Any talk of cutbacks of Russian natural gas deliveries to Europe generally arouses great anxiety following disruptions in recent years. But officials across the continent Wednesday offered reassurances that gas supplies remain sufficient to withstand the cold.

"Supplies of natural gas from Russia for use in the Czech Republic are currently somewhat lower," said Martin Chalupsky, spokesman for the Czech unit of RWE AG (RWE.XE). "We will cover demand without any complications."

A European Commission spokeswoman said Italy , Poland and Slovakia 's natural gas supplies from Russia were between 8% and 10% below normal as of 1100 GMT Wednesday, but those countries were able to cover the missing supply by using stored gas or getting additional supplies from other sources.

"All were able to cover for the missing amount," said Marlene Holzner, spokeswoman for Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger. "As there is enough gas on the market, we are confident that the market will allocate."

The EU faced a deep crisis in 2009, when supplies of Russian gas plunged because of a price dispute between Russia and Ukraine . That prompted the bloc to invest in infrastructure to improve its response capacity. Countries improved storage capacity and increased interconnections to enable the movement of gas in many different directions.

Questions about Russia 's deliveries arose Wednesday after some Russian media reports said Gazprom had trimmed European deliveries to allow for greater gas use at home due to cold weather.

A Gazprom statement strongly defended the company's actions Wednesday and said it had boosted deliveries to Europe , engaging all its export routes, while also increasing withdrawals from underground storage facilities.

"Despite increased gas consumption in Russia due to the severe cold, Gazprom continues to fulfill its contractual obligations to European consumers," the company said.

A Gazprom official who insisted on anonymity acknowledged the company was having temporary problems meeting European gas demand, but that situation was being rectified.

"Production is being increased, and we don't expect any further problems," the Gazprom official said. "This gas has to be transported over very long distances, and it can take time to get the gas through to the consumer."

State-controlled Polish gas monopoly PGNiG SA (PGN.WA) said it was reducing gas deliveries to its major clients in Poland , including refiner PKN Orlen SA (PKN.WA), and has asked the Economy Ministry for permission to tap into the government's gas reserves.

A PKN statement said the company could use other fuels as substitutes for natural gas. Poland 's Economy Ministry said it was analyzing the request to tap mandatory natural gas reserves.

E.ON Foldgaz Trade Zrt, Hungary's biggest gas trader, has seen an "insignificant" drop in inflow of gas, but said gas from storage was sufficient to make up the difference, a spokeswoman said. Hungarian national pipeline operator Foldgazszallito Zrt said imports were undisturbed.

Italy is expecting 108.3 million cubic meters of gas from the Tarvisio entry point Wednesday, while the actual inflow indicates the amount will be 95.7 million, according to data from Italian grid operator Snam SpA (SRG.MI).

Italy often requests excessive gas as soon as the weather turns cold, said a Gazprom spokesman. The country's other import gas pipelines from Libya and Algeria are fully working and storage capacity is adequate to guarantee Italy 's energy security, said a person with knowledge of the situation.

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