BELGRADE, Jan. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Croatian oil company INA said on Monday its natural gas imports from Russia via Ukraine had been reduced by 33 percent, dropping from about 130,000 cubic meters per hour to about 87,000 cubic meters.

    INA said that the situation was uncertain because it was hard to predict further developments in relations between Russia and Ukraine, the Croatian HINA news agency reported.

    As a result of a war of gas prices that broke out between the two countries, Russian state-run gas monopoly Gazprom halted gas supplies to Ukraine on Sunday, accusing Ukraine of stealing gas being transported via its territory to Western Europe.

    "We do not expect problems with supply this week and the next," INA sales director Natasa Vujec said, expressing hope that the situation would not last longer than two weeks.

    The current rate of natural gas consumption in Croatia is about 400,000 cubic meters per hour. Croatia produces about 60 percent of its natural gas needs and imports the rest from Russia, according to a statement from the Croatian Ministry of the Economy.

    "A prolonged reduction of gas supplies may cause problems, because it is probably impossible to find alternative suppliers, and even if we do, they will certainly be more expensive," the ministry said. Enditem