European Commission says bloc can cope with halt of Russian gas flow

BRUSSELS, Jan 1 (Reuters) - The European Commission played down the impact of a halt of Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, saying the stop on Jan. 1 had been expected and that the bloc was prepared for it.

"The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to provide gas of non-Russian origin to CEE (central and eastern Europe) via alternative routes," a spokesperson for the European Commission said.

"It has been reinforced with significant new LNG import capacities since 2022."

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)