PRAGUE, Jan 3: Russia stepped up its war of words with Ukraine over gas supplies on Saturday, accusing it of theft, while Kiev warned that deliveries to the European Union could be seriously hit within 10 days.

Several EU countries said they were already suffering shortfalls in deliveries of Russian gas, as the number two official of producer Gazprom arrived in Prague for talks with the EU on Moscow’s gas dispute with Kiev.

Alexander Medvedev told reporters in the Czech Republic, current holder of the EU presidency, that Ukraine was stealing 35 million cubic metres of Russian gas a day intended for Europe and would have to pay for it.

He was in Prague the day after a Ukrainian delegation held talks there and in Bratislava before travelling on to Berlin for meetings with German officials.

In Kiev, President Viktor Yushchenko’s representative on energy security, Bogdan Sokolovsky, warned, “If the Russian side does not provide more gas (to EU member states) than at the moment, in around 10 days there could be very serious technical problems.”

“Transit of gas may be disrupted at some point,” Sokolovsky told reporters at a briefing two days after Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine proper when their contract expired. “It will not be our fault.” The Czech Republic, as holder of the EU presidency, called earlier for a resumption of disrupted supplies and representatives from the bloc were due to discuss the issue in Brussels on Monday.—AFP