Russian gas monopoly Gazprom on Friday failed to reach an agreement with Ukraine's Naftogaz CEO Igor Didenko who flew to Moscow for talks to avert the company's threat to cut gas supplies, news agency Interfax reported according to DPA. "The meeting Friday proved Ukraine's lack of readiness to understand the essence of the current problems," the gas monopoly's spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said Friday. Gazprom said it had taken first preparatory steps to turn off the taps to Ukraine starting Tuesday if Kiev did not pay outstanding debts claimed by the company. Kupriyanov said Ukraine had run up a 1.5-billion-dollar debt on imported gas and set a Monday deadline for settling the bill. A senior Ukrainian official meanwhile Friday predicted continued Russian gas supplies to Europe despite the energy giant's warning to stall supplies feeding westward to central Europe. "The gas will continue to flow, you can turn on your burners with confidence," said Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Oleksander Turchinov. "There is not going to be a cut-off."
