KIEV, Jan. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Ukraine said Monday it would extract some of the Russian gas pipelined through it to the European Union as "payment for transit," if temperatures fall below freezing.

    In a row over the gas price, the Russian gas giant Gazprom on Monday accused Ukraine of diverting about 100 million cubic meters of Russian gas intended for customers in other European countries, a charge denied by Kiev later.

    "If the temperatures fall below zero, to minus three or minus five degrees (Celsius), we will extract Russian gas that we receive as payment for transit, in line with existing contractual conditions," Ukrainian Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov said, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

    Gazprom on Sunday cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, after Ukraine refused to pay more than quadruple the current price -- 50 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters -- for the gas it buys from Russia in 2006. Enditem