Russia Cuts Gas Supplies to Europe

Russia has cut off the entire natural gas supply to Belarus, including transit deliveries to Western Europe, as the two neighbors continue to battle.

The Gazprom gas monopoly, which controls all export pipelines in Russia, announced it had suspended all gas supplies to the impoverished former Soviet republic because Belarus was siphoning off transit gas.

"We have decided to halt all gas deliveries to Belarus, including for transit to third countries," Gazprom spokesman Denis said.

"Germany and other countries will not be left without gas, we have other pipeline routes," such as Ukraine, he added. It was not clear what reserves of gas Belarus has to last it through the Russian freeze in supplies.

Russian gas delivered to cash-strapped Belarus had been sold at the subsidized price of 30 dollars (23 euros) per 1,000 cubic meters (35,000 cubic feet) but companies now want to charge the same price as for other ex-Soviet republics -- or about 50 dollars.

Gazprom, Russia's largest gas producer which broke ties with Belarus as the start of the year, said Tuesday it wants a 50-percent stake in the Belarusian gas pipeline network if Minsk wants to keep subsidized prices for Russian imports.

Belarus is almost totally dependent on Russian gas for its energy supplies and has accused Moscow of trying to use blackmail to grab control of its gas transport network.