Putin said Ukraine still had work to do to align its gas regulatory landscape with that of Europe, questioning whether Kiev would be able to achieve this in time. "That is not up to us," he said. "Therefore, the risk of termination of transit exists."

Brent was down 43 cents at $61.85 a barrel , WTI slipped 22 cents to $56.55 a barrel.

"The law implements a European compromise, in which we, together with France and the Commission and other member states played a major role," Altmaier said.

The current 10-year agreement between Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrayiny expires at the end of 2019, and the EC is brokering talks aimed at putting a new contract in place to take effect from the start of 2020.

In the first half of 2019, the United States exported 5.47 million barrels per day (b/d) of petroleum products, an increase of 19,000 b/d (0.3%) from the first half of 2018 and the slowest year-over-year growth rate for any half year in 13 years.

Europe looks set for more LNG imports in the near term as the TTF and NBP prompt months are due to retain premiums to the JKM spot price amid the rising charter costs to Japan and South Korea, traders say.

A contract for Tokamak machine assembly for the ITER International Fusion Energy Organisation signed by a consortium led by China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (CNPE) is the biggest nuclear energy project contract that Chinese companies have ever bid for in the European market.

Exports to the UK and Continental Europe totaled just 4.59 Bcm in September, the lowest monthly volume since August 2004,

“Rosneft has recently adjusted all the new contracts for export supplies to euros. We’ve been notified,” a trader at a company regularly buying from Rosneft told Reuters.

Total U.S. petroleum demand of 21.5 mb/d was highest for any month since August 2005; Improved infrastructure helped increase supply and lower prices; Highest U.S. petroleum exports (8.1 mb/d) for the month of August; and Total inventories increased year-on-year for the ninth consecutive month.