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Ukraine raised the stakes in a dispute with Russia over gas supplies on Tuesday, saying Russian state-controlled company Gazprom owed Kiev natural gas worth around $1 billion which it had “stolen” when Moscow annexed Crimea.

Russia has warned it will reduce gas supplies to Ukraine on June 3 if Kiev fails to pay in advance for next month’s deliveries, causing concerns that onward supplies to Europe could be threatened.

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With newfound confidence inspired by the election of a Ukrainian president at the weekend, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said gas talks with Russia could not progress until he heard Moscow’s response on giving back the 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas which he said was taken when the country’s Black Sea region was annexed by Russia in March.

The dispute has strained ties between the two neighbors since Moscow almost doubled the price for its deliveries to Ukraine after protesters toppled a pro-Russia Ukrainian president.