Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Kyiv, January 5 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian national energy trader, Naftogaz Ukrainy, has received a Gazprom fax warning it of the reduction of the amount of gas to be supplied to European consumers by 65.3 million cubic meters to 221.8 million cubic meters a day, Naftogaz said in a statement on Monday.

"This means that Gazprom has in fact cut the volume of gas to be transited to European consumers. Thus, the Russian company has put gas supplies to European countries at risk," Naftogaz said.

It was reported earlier that, starting from Monday, Russia would begin reducing gas exports to Western Europe through the Russian-Ukrainian border by 65.3 million cubic meters of gas, an amount already diverted by Ukraine.

Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller informed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a Monday meeting about the amount of gas Ukraine had diverted from the export pipeline running to Western Europe.