Budapest  - The Hungarian minister responsible for energy matters said on Monday that Ukraine had informed the Hungarian government of its intention to reduce gas flow to Hungary by almost a quarter.

Speaking to the press after meeting with the prime minister, Csaba Molnar said that Ukraine had informed Hungary of its intention to reduce the delivery of natural gas on Monday from 38 million to 30 million cubic metres per day.

Kiev - Ukraine has blocked transit shipment of Russian natural gas to Europe, escalating an acrimonious energy dispute dispute between the two countries and increasing the threat of a natural gas shortage in Europe, Ukrainian media reported Monday.

Executives from Ukrainian natural gas monopolist Naftogaz Ukrainy refused late Sunday evening to receive 15 million cubic metres of Russian natural gas per day in the Ukrainian gas pipeline network, citing absence of a contract to do so, Korrespondent magazine reported.

Prague  - The European Union Saturday threatened to bypass Russia and Ukraine for the bloc's gas needs if irregularities in Russian gas supplies via Ukraine persist in the future, Czech officials said.

Czech Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said the EU was ready to speed up work on Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines that would bring Russian gas to Europe without passing through Ukraine.

Moscow/Kiev/Prague  - Russian natural gas deliveries fell in downstream markets on Saturday, drawing a sharp European Union demand that the Kremlin and Ukraine end a row over energy.

The volumes of Russian natural gas pumped via Ukrainian pipelines to Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia were all were reportedly down, with Romania registering a 33 per cent cut in deliveries.

Moscow/Brussels/Kiev/Budapest/Prague - Russian natural gas deliveries fell substantially in downstream markets on Saturday, drawing a sharp European Union demand the Kremlin and Ukraine end a row over energy.

Russian natural gas volumes pumped via Ukrainian pipelines to Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania all were down, with Romania registering a 33 per cent cut in deliveries.

Russia on Thursday halted natural gas deliveries to Ukraine because of a delivery contract dispute. Fuel volumes moving onward to Europe fell marginally on Friday.

Budapest/Brussels  - The European Union reported the first impacts of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian gas row on Friday evening as three member states in Central and Eastern Europe reported falling gas pressure in their pipelines.

Pipeline pressure is down in the main pipes leading from Ukraine into EU members Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the Czech Republic's energy envoy, Vaclav Bartuska, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. The Czech Republic currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

"It is so far only a decrease in pressure. The volumes (being delivered) remain the same ... The Ukrainian side told us that volumes will be down tomorrow (Saturday)," Bartuska said.