Medvedev puts his foot down

Picture taken on April 16, 2009 shows Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gesturing during an interview with NTV channel's Chief News Editor Tatyana Mitkova in Moscow. AFP PHOTO / RIA NOVOSTI / KREMLIN POOL / DMITRY ASTAKHOV

Tough talk: from Dmitri Medvedev

DMITRY ASTAKHOV

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By News wires

 07 September 2009 10:08 GMT

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev today ordered Gazprom to stop advance payments to Ukraine for transit of natural gas across its territory.



In the Kremlin's official transcript of a conversation between Medvedev and Gazprom boss Alexei Miller quoted the Russian president as saying Russia should act in accordance with an agreement signed in January between Moscow and Kiev.

The official transcript contradicted an earlier report from Interfax news agency, which said Medvedev had told Miller not to agree to change gas transit fees.

The Kremlin transcript quoted Miller as telling Medvedev that transit fees to Ukraine had been pre-paid until the end of the first quarter of next year.

"As far as…

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