Rusland draait gaskraan naar Wit-Rusland dicht (en)

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev i has ordered his country's gas monopoly, Gazprom, to cut gas flows to Belarus for non-payment of debt for previous supplies.

The move, made on Monday (21 June) follows through with the threat the Russian leader made last week, warning Minsk gas would be cut within five days if it did not pay up.

The country, a transit region for some 20 percent Russian gas exports to the European Union, owes Gazprom $200 million (€199m). Mr Medvedev warned that Belarus had to at least begin to pay off its debts, accrued from an inability to pay climbing gas prices, or it would face cuts.

On Thursday, the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, warned supplies would be cut by 85 percent.

However, Minsk is refusing to pay.

The Belarusian energy ministry said on Sunday that according to their contracts with the gas giant, the firm only has the right to slash supplies by 15 percent, equivalent to $200 million, RIA Novosti is reporting.

Belarussian officials headed to Moscow on Sunday for talks.

Discussions "will focus on the cost of gas transit across Belarus and, correspondingly, Gazprom's debt for transit," according to the AP.

The dispute comes amid faltering relations between the one-time allies. It also comes in the context of Russia's previous cut-offs of gas and oil to Belarus and Ukraine, damaging its reputation as a reliable supplier in Europe.

Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky did not attend a meeting with Vladimir Putin i and his Kazakh counterpart, Karim Masimov, in May.

Russia for its part, says that Belarus will receive $4.2 billion in Russian subsidies this year via low gas prices and duty-free oil.