Ukraine Confirms Cuts in Natural Gas Supplies From Russia

Ukraine's national oil and gas company confirms that Russia has decreased the supply of natural gas to Ukraine. The move is the result of a disagreement between Kiev and Moscow over how much Ukraine pays for the fuel.

Officials of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz Ukrainy said today the flow of natural gas from Russia has been reduced, but consumers are not yet feeling the impact.

The Russian state-run natural gas monopoly, Gazprom, said it began reducing pressure in the pipelines that supply Ukraine today shortly before a 10 a.m. local time deadline.

The Ukrainian government is refusing a proposed contract that would quadruple the price it pays Gazprom for natural gas.

Gazprom says supplies of natural gas to the rest of Europe will not be affected.

Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.