In this Oct. 7, 2015 file photo, a worker at a Ukrainian gas station Volovets in western Ukraine controls a valve. (AP Photo)

KIEV, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's natural gas imports dropped by 36.7 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2018 mainly due to reduced consumption, local media reported on Monday, citing a report by the state-run Ukrtransgaz Company.

According to the report, in January through June this year, Ukraine imported some 4.4 billion cubic meters of gas, down from 6.96 billion cubic meters in the same period a year ago.

About 67 percent of the imports came from Slovakia, while the rest from Hungary and Poland, the report said.

Gas supplies from Russia to Ukraine have been suspended since November 2015, as the two countries failed to reach an agreement on pricing.

Ukraine, which set a target to become self-sufficient in gas by 2022, has reduced its gas consumption by 10 billion cubic meters or about 23.5 percent since 2014.

Last year, the eastern European country consumed 32.2 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 14.05 billion cubic meters were imported from abroad.