MOSCOW/KIEV, December 31 (WNM/Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine have signed a five-year agreement safeguarding Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine, Kremlin-controlled gas giant Gazprom said in a statement on Tuesday.

The deal was sealed before the current agreement expires on Dec. 31.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed in a post on social media that the deal had been signed.