Gazprom says gas talks with Belarus not encouraging

MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom said on Saturday that its gas pricing talks with Belarus were not encouraging and it was ready for ''a critical development'', raising fears it could cut off gas to Minsk in two days.

''The way the talks are proceeding at this moment prompts us to get ready for a critical development of events,'' Gazprom's chief spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Vesti 24 state television.

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