Tass report. Energy industry officials in both Moscow and Kiev appeared to be playing for time as the clock ticked down, with Yushchenko suggesting on Friday afternoon the negotiating deadline be extended until January 10, and the Kremlin waiting only until Saturday afternoon to acknowledge the request. Gazrpom officials on Saturday said the company "is fully prepared" to switch off gas supplies to Ukraine on instructions from corporate management. Were Gazprom to make good on its threat, a gas shut-off to Ukraine could have a potentially disastrous effect on European natural gas markets, as more than 80 per cent of Russian natural gas exports to Europe travel through Ukrainian pipelines. The danger of economic problems in the event of a shut-off is worst in Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic, which depend on Russia for between 70 and 100 per cent of their natural gas supplies. Overall Russia supplies one-third of the continent's natural gas needs. Yushchenko in his television interview added to speculation in Ukraine that he and Putin would meet personally shortly after the New Year to agree on a gas price, saying: "I have two or three meetings in the early part of January at the very highest level, so there is no way I can take a winter vacation this year." Ukrainian media has widely reported Putin and Yushchenko are likely to meet in Kazakhstan during January. Neither official Moscow nor Kiev have confirmed the reports.
