Since the solution to the problem was down to those it affected, "Europe should actively involve itself in the mediation process," he said in a statement posted on his website.

"I am convinced that Europe has a vital interest in playing a more active role in stabilising the situation," he said. "The situation is dramatic in certain European Union countries."

Gas shortages spread across Europe reaching France and Italy on Tuesday as cuts in Russian supplies through Ukrainian pipelines escalated an increasingly bitter crisis in the depths of winter.

With 17 European countries reporting sharp falls or a complete halt in Russian gas shipments, the European Union said the situation was "completely unacceptable" and called for the flow be restored.

Earlier Tuesday, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on the European Commission to intervene.

"The European Commission must prepare a catalogue of short- and long-term measures," he told reporters.

"The EU must be prepared to react in case this (Russia-Ukraine gas) conflict persists," he said.

In the first sign of a compromise, gas officials in Moscow and Kiev signalled Tuesday they were ready for further talks to resolve the problems. But each side has continued to blame the other for the disruption.

The European Commission has so far been unable to confirm a statement by Gazprom chiefs that they would be in Brussels on Thursday for talks with both the commission and the European Parliament.

Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 over a payment dispute. It then accused Ukraine of "stealing" Russian gas meant for customers in Europe.

With 17 European countries reporting sharp falls or a complete halt in Russian gas shipments, the European Union said "the situation is completely unacceptable" and demanded the flow be restored.

In the first sign of compromise, however, gas officials in Moscow and Kiev signalled that they were ready for further talks to resolve the problems. But both sides continued to trade blame publicly for the disruption.

"The Czech EU Presidency and the European Commission demand that gas supplies be restored immediately to the EU and that the two parties resume negotiations at once," they said in a statement.

One after another, European countries announced cuts in their supplies of Russian gas, with Balkan countries the hardest hit but EU heavyweights France, Germany and Italy also suffering reductions.

Russia is the world's largest natural gas producer and provides around one-quarter of the gas used in the European Union, or about 40 percent of the gas the bloc imports.

Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 over a payment dispute. It then accused Ukraine of "stealing" Russian gas meant for customers in Europe.

On Monday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered an immediate reduction of gas shipped to Europe via Ukraine to compensate for volumes Gazprom said had been illegally siphoned off by Kiev.

Leaders in both Russia and Ukraine had pledged in recent weeks that supplies to Europe would not be disrupted by their dispute and they are now scrambling to paint each other as an unreliable energy partner for the EU.

A growing number of countries reported sudden and sharp supply shortfalls, with nations in southern and eastern Europe who depend most heavily on Russia the hardest hit.

Bulgaria has resorted to rationing supplies to industry, Slovakia declared an energy emergency and most Balkan countries said deliveries of Russian gas had been totally halted.

Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, France, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey all reported deep cuts in their gas supplies.

The disruption coincides with a particularly cold snap -- temperatures dropped to minus 25 degrees Celsius (minus 13 Fahrenheit) in Serbia -- and many countries in eastern and central Europe depend on gas for central heating.

Experts said the immediate impact on consumers in Europe would be mitigated by the fact that they had consciously stocked up on reserves after a similar Russia-Ukraine dispute caused shortfalls in 2006.

"We are still a long way from end-user customers having a problem," said Chris Weafer, chief strategist for Moscow-based investment bank UralSib.

In Kiev, the chief executive of Ukraine's state gas firm Naftogaz, Oleg Dubina, said that he would travel to Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russia's energy giant Gazprom, which also said it was ready to negotiate.

Gazprom chief Alexei Miller also said that Russia would hold talks in Brussels Thursday with the European Union and the EU Commmission on the gas crisis.

The EU presidency, represented by the Czech Republic, said it considered all sides were ready to return to the negotiating table.

"The Russian side is ready to take this step. We are also. And I consider, after the talks in Kiev, that the Ukrainian side is also ready," said Czech Industry Minister Martin Riman after a meeting with Gazprom's vice-president Alexander Medvedev in Berlin.

Earlier, Medvedev charged Ukraine with shutting down three of four pipelines that export Russian gas to Europe while Naftogaz accused Gazprom of cutting the volumes of gas it pumps into the system.

Despite the apparently renewed willingness in Moscow and Kiev to negotiate, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko warned the EU that Russia might entirely cut off Russian natural gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine.

"In the opinion of Viktor Yushchenko, the Russian side intends to either significantly reduce or stop altogether the transit of Russian natural gas" to Europe through Ukraine, he said in a message to EU leaders.

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"Negotiations with our European partners of the European Commission and the European Parliament are fixed for January 8 in Brussels," said Miller, in a statement broadcast on rolling news channel Vesti 24.

Miller repeated Gazprom's accusation that Ukraine was stealing some of the Russian gas transiting its pipelines for delivery to the rest of Europe, he said.

"The volume of theft of Russian gas on Ukrainian territory rises every day," he added.

"According to the latest estimates, Ukraine is stealing nearly 15 percent of gas delivered to the border between Russia and Ukraine," he said.

On January 1, Russia suspended delivery of gas for use by Ukraine after the two countries failed to agree a rate for 2009 and on the amount Kiev owed for previous deliveries.

The subsequent gas supply problems which each country has blamed on the other has begun to bite several European Union countries, reaching as far west as Italy and France.

Approximately 80 percent of Russia's gas exports to Europe pass through Ukraine.

"We regret the escalation of the gas dispute between Ukraine and Russia, which has resulted in decreased gas flows to European customers," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.

"These gas cutoffs are unacceptable," he added.

Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 over a payment dispute. It then accused Ukraine of "stealing" Russian gas meant for customers in Europe.

On Monday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered an immediate reduction of gas shipped to Europe via Ukraine to compensate for volumes Gazprom said had been illegally siphoned off by Kiev.

Leaders in both Russia and Ukraine had pledged in recent weeks that supplies to Europe would not be disrupted by their dispute and they are now scrambling to paint each other as an unreliable energy partner for the EU.

McCormack said "we welcome the announcement that Gazprom and Naftohaz will restart negotiations on January 8 and call on both sides to engage in a good faith effort to resolve their dispute in a transparent, commercial manner.

"This episode underscores the critical need to diversify sources of natural gas, as well as other energy supplies," McCormack said.

Speaking in Berlin after a meeting with Gazprom's vice-president Alexander Medvedev, Industry Minister Martin Riman said the "only solution" to the crisis is "to get straight to the negotiating table."

"The Russian side is ready to take this step. We are also. And I consider, after the talks in Kiev, that the Ukrainian side is also ready," Riman added.

Before arriving in Berlin, an EU delegation met Ukrainian officials in Kiev to hear their side of the story.

The minister said the EU was not in a position to judge which of the two sides in the dispute was in the wrong but stressed, "we do know that we cannot afford to have customers in Europe waiting for gas deliveries."

Many European countries reported sudden and sharp supply shortfalls Tuesday, with nations in southern and eastern Europe who depend most heavily on Russia the hardest hit.

For his part, Medvedev called for Ukraine to come as soon as possible back to the negotiating table -- "wherever this table will be found."

Earlier, natural gas supplier Geoplin said it had registered a 90 percent drop in deliveries from Russia and was currently having to use its reserves to meet domestic demand.

But the situation improved during the day and supplies reached almost 50 percent of the usual level, the economy ministry official in charge of energy, Janez Kopac, was quoted by the Slovenian news agency STA as saying.

"The situation is stable currently but we do not know what will happen over the next days," Kopac said.

Slovenia imports approximately 60 percent of its annual natural gas needs from Russia and 40 percent from Algeria, the ministry said.

"The gas imported from Algeria covers the needs of housholds and high-priority institutions such as hospitals and kindergartens," Kopac said.

"I am going to Moscow on January 8," Oleg Dubina, chief of Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz, said at a news conference.

In Moscow, a Gazprom spokesman said the firm was "surprised" Ukraine wanted to wait another two days.

"We are ready to start negotiations, considering the crisis situation, at any minute," spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said.

In Berlin, where he was holding talks with German and EU officials, Gazprom's number two Alexander Medvedev said that his company was ready "day and night to hold talks."

He stressed that Ukraine was responsible for the disruption to supplies in Europe.

The current gas crisis was triggered when negotiations between Gazprom and Naftogaz collapsed shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve, prompting Russia to follow through the next morning in cutting off gas supplies to Ukraine.

In the days that followed, Gazprom accused Ukraine of illegally siphoning Russian gas from pipelines crossing its territory -- gas that was meant to be sent to Gazprom customers in Europe.

Ukraine denied that accusation, instead blaming Russia for intentionally reducing volumes of gas to provoke a crisis.

Both companies have called daily for a resumption of talks, but each has demanded the other send a delegation to their respective capitals -- a compromise neither appeared ready to make prior to the Naftogaz announcement.

Dubina had previously said he would return to Moscow only on condition Russia was ready for a "normal approach" to talks.

He said he had agreed to travel to Moscow after speaking by telephone with Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller.

Even as Gazprom and Naftogaz signalled their readiness to resume talks, the two sides continued to trade accusations.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko -- who has kept a low public profile since the dispute broke out -- warned EU leaders that Gazprom may completely stop gas shipments via Ukraine to Europe.

"The Russian side intends to either significantly reduce or stop altogether the transit of Russian natural gas" to Europe through Ukraine, Yushchenko's office said in an a statement describing the warning he sent to the EU.

From the Russian side, Medvedev accused Kiev of "absolute irresponsibility" and charged that Ukraine had closed three export pipelines to Europe, in comments to reporters in London.

"We are hostages of the situation, we cannot do anything in this situation," Medvedev was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying in London.

He identified the three closed pipelines as the Progress, the Soyuz and the Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhgorod, the agency said.

"On our side we have done everything to avoid such a situation ... The Ukrainian side is wholly responsible for what has happened," Medvedev said later in Berlin.

Asked about the pipeline closures, a spokesman for Naftogaz told AFP that the fault lay with Gazprom for stopping deliveries.

Bulgaria, which is almost entirely dependent on Russia for its gas, has seen its gas supplies halted as a result of a payment dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

Stanishev said he had telephoned Putin in a bid to restore supplies to his freezing country from Russian gas supplier Gazprom.

"I told (him) that Bulgaria, which has always been very correct in its relations with Gazprom, expects Gazprom to respond in the same way and do whatever is needed to deliver all the necessary volumes on the Russian-Ukrainian border," said the Bulgarian premier.

Stanishev said he pointed out to both Putin and Gazprom head Alexei Miller that "it is unacceptable that Bulgaria and the rest of Europe is held hostage to a trade row."

Putin, he said, had expressed "regret" over the situation, but promised that Russia had cut deliveries to Ukraine by only 65 million cubic metres.

Ukraine's Deputy Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria has accused Russia of cutting gas deliveries by 210 million cubic metres, Stanishev said.

Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov suggested that independent observers be posted at the distribution stations to monitor incoming supplies of (Russian) gas to the Ukrainian border.

Bulgaria is 92-percent dependent on Russia for its daily needs of about 12 million cubic metres of gas as the country lacks any major natural gas resources and access to alternative gas routes under the Black Sea.

Bulgaria's economy and energy ministry appealed to all gas consumers in the country to "limit their gas consumption to the minimum and turn to alternative energy sources where possible."

The state gas monopoly Bulgargaz meanwhile said it would introduce gas "rationing" for industry, supplying gas only when it was vital for plant safety in order to save up gas for heating.

Bulgaria is currently making up for the cut in Russian supplies by pumping gas out of its only underground gas storage at Chiren, to the country's northwest.

It was currently holding 570 million cubic metres of gas and could supply a maximum of about 4.5 million cubic metres of gas a day, which is a third of total consumption, Stanishev said.

Bulgarian homes were not directly threatened as only a fraction of them use gas for heating or cooking.

But heating plants in Sofia and the big cities, which are mostly gas-fired, significantly turned down their supply to consumers on Tuesday.

This immediately triggered a 10-percent hike in electricity consumption in Sofia, CEZ spokesman Yasen Guev said.

Increased pressure on the electricity grid meanwhile caused a number of power outages in the capital and CEZ in turn launched an appeal to consumers to use electricity wisely.

Bulgaria, which is almost entirely dependent on Russia for its gas, has seen its gas supplies halted as a result of a payment dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

Relaying details about his phone call with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Stanishev told a news conference: "I told (him) that Bulgaria, which has always been very correct in its relations with Gazprom, expects Gazprom to respond in the same way and do whatever is needed to deliver all the necessary volumes on the Russian-Ukrainian border."

Stanishev said he pointed out to both Putin and Gazprom head Alexei Miller that "it is unacceptable that Bulgaria and the rest of Europe is held hostage to a trade row."

Putin, he said, had expressed "regret" about the situation, but promised that Russia had cut deliveries to Ukraine by only 65 million cubic metres. The Russian premier accused Kiev of "stealing" some of the gas destined for other countries and insisted that it was Ukraine that had turned off the tap on the Balkans.

For his part, Ukraine's Deputy Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria had shot back, blaming Russia for cutting gas deliveries by 210 million cubic metres, Stanishev said.

Nemyria had said the Ukrainian side would do "everything possible to restore the flow of gas."

Stanishev said he had also requested to hold a phone conversation with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and ask for EU's help "to determine how much gas actually gets to the Ukrainian border and where the volumes disappear."

For their part, Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko agreed that "because of the differences in the data about the incoming supplies of (Russian) gas to the Ukrainian border, it is important to have independent observers at the distribution stations," a statement released by the president's office said.

Premier Stanishev is also set to propose to a meeting of EU foreign ministers this week that independent monitors be dispatched to the six compressor stations on the Russian-Ukrainian border to oversee transit volumes.

Bulgaria is 92-percent dependent on Russia for its daily needs of about 12 million cubic metres of gas as the country lacks any major natural gas resources and access to alternative gas routes under the Black Sea.

Bulgaria's economy and energy ministry appealed to all gas consumers in the country to "limit their gas consumption to the minimum and turn to alternative energy sources where possible."

The state gas monopoly Bulgargaz meanwhile said it would introduce gas "rationing" for industry, supplying gas only when it was vital for plant safety in order to save up gas for heating.

Bulgaria is currently making up for the cut in Russian supplies by pumping gas out of its only underground gas storage at Chiren, to the country's northwest.

It currently holds 570 million cubic metres of gas and can supply a maximum of about 4.5 million cubic metres of gas a day, which is a third of total consumption, Stanishev said.

Bulgarian homes were not directly threatened as only a fraction of them use gas for heating or cooking.

But heating plants in Sofia and the big cities, which are mostly gas-fired, significantly turned down their supply to consumers on Tuesday.

This immediately triggered a 10-percent hike in electricity consumption in Sofia, CEZ spokesman Yasen Guev said.

Increased pressure on the electricity grid meanwhile caused a number of power outages in the capital and CEZ in turn launched an appeal to consumers to use electricity wisely.

Bulgaria, nearly totally dependent on Russian gas, said the spat between Kiev and Moscow which has jeopardised supplies to Europe, had plunged it into "a state of crisis" while Slovakia, in a similar position, declared an energy emergency.

Russia cut supplies to Ukraine on January 1 and then cut back further as it accused Kiev of "stealing" gas meant for onward transit to customers in Europe.

Hungary and Bosnia said their supplies from Russia had stopped entirely.

Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey all reported deep cuts in supplies, too.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev said he had issued sharp protests to both Russia and Ukraine.

In telephone calls with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Deputy Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria and Gazprom chief Alexei Miller, "I was very categorical in my portrayal of the gas crisis in Bulgaria," Stanishev said.

"It is not right to hold Bulgaria and the other countries in the region hostage to this conflict."

Temperatures in Sofia were as low as minus nine degrees celsius on Tuesday, while the thermometer sank as low as minus 21.6 degrees in the northern town of Knezha.

A number of tenants in downtown Sofia claimed the heating companies had significantly turned down the central heating to their buildings.

"Of course, we are worried. There are children and elderly people who cannot go without heating," one tenant said.

Amid appeals by the government for companies and households to seek alternative fuel for their heating, many people switched to electricity.

But that overloaded the grid, triggering a number of power outages on Tuesday afternoon.

In Hungary, Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine ceased completely on Tuesday and Energy Minister Csaba Molnar said the government had informed Serbia and Bosnia, whose gas is delivered via Hungary, that their supplies would be halted too.

Molnar described the situation as critical and factories had been requested to switch to alternative fuels.

Elsewhere in the region, there were sharp falls in gas deliveries but governments said they had sufficient gas reserves for the time being.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said: "I wouldn't consider the situation critical (...) gas storage (tanks) are still full."

In Croatia, which receives its Russian natural gas through pipelines from Austria, officials said deliveries had ceased completely.

As temperatures hovered around minus 20 degrees Celsius, Croatian oil and gas group INA called upon all consumers to use gas sparingly.

The economy ministry said reductions were to start for Croatia's big industrial consumers but households as well as schools, hospitals and other institutions of public importance would not be affected immediately.

Further southeast in Macedonia, deliveries had also stopped but that would not have "any serious consequences" in the near future as the country "generally does not use much gas," said Premier Fatmir Besimi.

Separately Bosnia, which gets all of its gas from Russia, delivered via pipelines across Ukraine and Hungary, announced its supplies were reduced by one half.

In Slovenia, the national gas supplier Geoplin said supplies were down by as much as 90 percent earlier on Tuesday, even if the situation had since improved slightly.

Austria, which has one of the biggest gas platforms in Europe, was due to receive just 10 percent of its normal gas deliveries, according to oil giant OMV.

The current dispute underlines the importance of the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project, said the project's chief Reinhard Mitschek.

Nabucco is a 3,400-kilometre (2,112-mile) pipeline between Turkey and Austria that will transport up to 31 billion cubic metres of gas each year from the Caspian Sea to western Europe, bypassing Russia.

It has so far proved slow-moving with the necessary approvals and agreements between the countries concerned still to be signed.

"Regions have been ordered to take the necessary steps within a short period of time to prepare and shift all heat-generation companies capable of working with a reserve kind of fuel -- fuel oil," the government said in a statement.

The government also said it was preparing a decision to buy fuel oil from abroad and simplify the procedures for its import.

Russia cut gas supplies to the domestic Ukrainian market on New Year's Day in a dispute over debts and prices for 2009.

The dispute has since deepened and led to shortfalls in gas deliveries to over a dozen European countries.

"Whereas the level of deliveries of Russian natural gas passing through the Ukraine was normal until January 5th, GDF Suez has today recorded a very significant drop -- by over 70 percent in France," the group said.

"All the necessary measures have been taken to guarantee the continuity of natural gas supplies for all GDF Suez customers in France and in Europe," the statement added.

Russian gas accounts for about 15 percent of French supplies but GDF Suez boasts that it has nine suppliers in all and therefore is well-placed to seek alternative sources in a crisis.

The Russian energy giant Gazprom cut gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 and reduced deliveries through Ukraine after accusing Kiev of illegally tapping into shipments bound for the rest of Europe.

The European Union depends on Russia for about a quarter of its total gas supplies, some 80 percent of which are pumped via Ukraine, and in all, 17 states have so far complained of shortfalls amid bitterly cold weather.

Nevertheless, many countries built up larger gas reserves ahead of a possible breakdown in talks between Russia and Ukraine and it was not immediately clear whether there would be disruption to domestic distribution.

The European Union has demanded that supplies be re-established.

The European Union depends on Russia for about a quarter of its total gas supplies, some 80 percent of which are pumped via Ukraine.

The shortfalls have hit particularly hard the countries of central and eastern Europe, which are even more dependent on Russian supplies.

Here is a list of the 17 countries that have seen cuts in gas supplies:

- AUSTRIA: Russian gas supplies fall by 90 percent. Austrian energy company OMV says it can make up the shortfall by using extensive reserves.

- BOSNIA: Russian gas supplies entirely halted.

- BULGARIA: Russian gas supplies entirely halted. State gas company Bulgargaz says it is using reserves but will have to impose gas rationing for industry and has appealed to consumers to use "all possible alternative fuels."

- CROATIA: Russian gas supplies entirely halted. Croatian oil and gas group INA calls on all consumers to use gas sparingly, while the economy ministry says reductions will start for major industrial consumers.

- CZECH REPUBLIC: Russian gas supplies expected to fall by 75 percent.

- FRANCE: Russian gas supplies fall 70 percent. Energy group GDF Suez assures its supplies in France and to Europe will continue as normal.

- GERMANY: German gas importers Wingas and E.ON Ruhrgas report a fall in Russian gas supplies without giving a precise figure. The companies say they have enough gas in reserves to make up for the shortfall.

- GREECE: Russian gas supplies entirely halted. The Public Gas Corporation says there will be no effect on households due to high reserves but warns the state electricity company will be asked to cut consumption if needed.

- HUNGARY: Russian gas supplies entirely halted. The authorities say the situation is critical and factories have been requested to switch to other energy sources. Gas company FGSZ says reserves are sufficient for "some weeks."

- ITALY: Russian gas supplies drop 90 percent. The authorities say deliveries from other countries such as Algeria, Britain, Libya and the Netherlands will be increased and existing stocks can last "several weeks."

- MACEDONIA: Russian gas supplies entirely halted.

- POLAND: Polish national gas company PGNiG reports a drop of 85 percent drop in Russian gas supplies via Ukraine. The company says it will increase supplies through a pipeline that crosses Belarus to make up the shortfall.

- ROMANIA: Russian gas supplies reduced by more than two-thirds. The economy ministry calls an emergency meeting but says that consumption is being met by locally produced gas, as well as from reserves.

- SERBIA: Russian natural gas supplies fall by 50 percent. Serbian national gas company Serbijagas director Dusan Bajatovic warns the Russia-Ukraine dispute "has created an exceptional situation which could get worse."

- SLOVAKIA: Russian gas supplies fall by 70 percent. Slovak gas importer SPP declares a state of energy emergency in the country, which allows the company to cut supplies as required by the situation.

- SLOVENIA: Russian gas supplies fall by 90 percent. Slovenian natural gas supplies Geoplin says it is being forced to use reserves to meet domestic demand.

- TURKEY: Russian gas supplies transiting through the Balkans are entirely halted. Turkey increases gas imports through Blue Stream, a gas pipeline running under the Black Sea through which it receives most of its gas.

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"Hungarian gas transporter FGSZ informed BH-Gas company that Ukraine and Russia have decreased natural gas deliveries towards Bosnia-Hercegovina by 100 percent," a company statement said.

"This new decrease additionally complicates the situation and is threatening to further threaten consumers," it warned.

The head of BH-Gas, Almir Becarevic, told AFP earlier that the central heating system was switching to alternative energy sources, but that reserves were sufficient only for "another three to five days" of heating.

During the past few days both Bosnia and Croatia have been hit by freezing weather, with temperatures plunging to below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus four Fahrenheit), which is below average for this time of the year.

"At 10:00 am, we were getting only 10 percent of the quantities we normally get," an ENI spokesman said, adding that Italy depended on Russia for 30 percent of its gas supplies.

According to the Ansa news agency, Russian energy giant Gazprom normally supplied ENI with some 60 million cubic metres of gas daily.

Earlier Tuesday, Italy's Economic Development Minister Claudio Scajola said that a drop in gas supplies from Russia due to its dispute with Ukraine had so far not caused any particular concern given high stock levels and relatively modest demand.

The minister said in a statement that measures would be taken to maximise deliveries from other countries such as Algeria, Britain, Holland, Libya and the Netherlands.

A special committee set up to oversee gas and energy supplies would likely meet soon, Scajola said in a statement which added that current stock levels would cover Italian demand "for several weeks."

Russia's Gazprom last week cut supplies to Ukraine, through which Europe gets much of its deliveries, following a protracted dispute over prices.

Several countries have now reported falling supplies just as a freezing cold snap has boosted demand for gas.

A similar dispute between Russia and Ukraine in 2006 led to disruption of supplies to Western Europe, which relies on Moscow for a quarter of its gas needs.

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