Moscow Will Reduce Gas Supplies to Belarus

MOSCOW — Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly said yesterday that it will reduce natural gas supplies to Belarus by 45% as of tomorrow after Minsk failed to pay in full for previous gas shipments.

Gazprom tried to allay fears that the decision could reduce gas shipments to Europe through a key transit pipelines that handles about 20% of Russia's gas exports.

"Gazprom will take all possible measures for the transportation of Russian gas through the territory of Belarus in full accordance with current obligations before European customers," a statement said. The announcement came after Russia's former Soviet neighbor missed a July 23 deadline for payment of part of an outstanding gas bill.

Alexander Ananenkov, Gazprom's acting chief executive, was due to make an announcement about Belarus later yesterday at Gazprom's Moscow headquarters.

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said the transit pipeline supplies customers in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine as well as the Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.