Russia began cutting off natural gas supplies to Kiev at 0700 GMT on Sunday, a move described by Ukraine President Yushchenko "as showing clear signs of a threat to our national security", DPA reported. Officials at Gazprom, Russia's state-run gas concern, said Russia began reducing pressure in gas pipelines to Ukraine immediately after a 0700 GMT deadline passed. The Russian energy giant had threatened to cut Ukraine's gas supplies off, if Kiev did not agree to a five-fold price hike by midnight on New Year's Eve. After meetings with senior government and energy industry officials, Yushchenko declared Sunday the Russian severance as directly threatening Ukrainian national security, and announced "readiness" ask nuclear club nations and the European Union to intervene in the conflict with Moscow. "We consider this an obvious form of economic pressure ... and a violation (by Russia) of treaty obligations," Yushchenko said.
