Moscow - President Dmitry Medvedev told his counterpart in Bulgaria, which is almost entirely reliant on Russian gas, Moscow was ready to reopen gas flow to Europe via Ukraine as soon as a new contracts with Kiev for gas in 2009, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"The president underlined that Russia is ready to carry out its obligations and renew transits of gas after the conclusion of the necessary contract with Ukraine," the Kremlin said in a statement posted on its website after Medvedev and Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov spoke by phone.

Moscow/Brussels  - Russian gas monopolist Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz will sit for further face-to-face talks as soon as both leave Brussels on Thursday to fly to Moscow on the same airplane, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said.

"We flew to Brussels on the same flight. That is why we don't need to hold special talks in Brussels. We plan to fly to Russia together," Miller was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying in Brussels.

Moscow - Russian export monopoly Gazprom said Tuesday it has been ready "any minute" to sit across the negotiating table from Ukrainian officials in a deadlock over gas supplies that has drastically cut volumes of Russian gas reaching Europe via Ukraine.

"We are surprised by the (Naftogaz Ukrainy's) announcement it was ready to continue talks on January 8, we are ready to start talks at any minute, given the critical situation," a spokesman for the company Sergei Kupryanov said in a televised statement.

"Gazprom" was and will be the reliable supplier of gas," he added.

Moscow/Kiev  - Russian export monopoly Gazprom on Wednesday accused its Ukrainian counterpart of planning to siphon off gas meant for European clients. It was the latest twist in a row over money Ukraine owes to Russia for gas deliveries.

Ukrainian official were in last-ditch talks in Moscow Wednesday ahead of a promised New Year's cut-off of gas deliveries by Gazprom over a 2-billion-dollar debt.

Gazprom chairman Alexander Medvedev said the threat was made in an official letter from Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz. He produced a copy of the letter at a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday.

Moscow - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the leader of Islamic organisation Hamas has said his group was prepared to stop attacks against Israel if the Jewish state lifted its bloc

Moscow - The deputy prime minister of the Russian province of North Ossetia and his driver were fatally shot in an attack Wednesday, reported the Interfax news agency, citing the North Ossetian Interior Ministry.

No details were available about the attack on North Ossetian Deputy Prime Minister Kasbek Pagiyev. The attack in the north Caucasian province is believed to be linked to the November murder of Vitali Karayev, the mayor of Vladikavkaz. Pagiyev held that position before Karayev.