11/04/2014 09:50
US: Russia uses energy supplies 'to control Ukraine'
The US has accused Russia of using its energy supplies "as a tool of coercion" to try to control Ukraine, the BBC reported.
It comes after Russia warned European countries of possible gas supply cuts because of Ukraine's energy debts.
Separately, Nato has defended the accuracy of satellite images which it says show Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks.
A Russian official earlier told said the images depicted a military exercise that was held in August last year.
Nato says the satellite images it unveiled on Thursday show some 40,000 Russian troops near the border in late March and early April. They also reveal sophisticated warplanes and helicopters.
In a statement issued late on Thursday, Nato said it would release additional images to show that Russian claims that they are old pictures were "categorically false."
In Washington, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki condemned "Russia's efforts to use energy as a tool of coercion."
She added that gas prices Ukraine was having to pay Moscow were not set by market forces, and that Washington was working with Ukraine to provide financing and help it find enough gas.
Russian energy giant Gazprom says Ukraine owes it $2.2bn (£1.2bn; 1.4bn euros) and recently doubled the price it must pay.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote to 18 European countries on Thursday warning that Ukraine's delays in paying for Russian gas had created a "critical situation."