Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov decided abruptly Tuesday to postpone his scheduled visit to Ukraine as the two neighbors failed to agree on Russian gas deliveries.

"The visit to Ukraine was canceled due to failure to achieve specific agreements on forms of cooperation in (Russian) gas supplies," Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said on the Vremya television.

"Unsettled contracts for next year will risk gas deliveries to Ukraine and Europe, and we are certain that neither Russia nor Ukraine want that to happen," Khristenko said.

Fradkov was originally due to travel to Kiev Wednesday to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Yuri Yekhanurov and chair a meeting of the Russian-Ukrainian Interstate Commission's economic cooperation committee.

Russia is a key gas supplier to Ukraine and most of its gas exports to Europe pass through Ukrainian territory. Russia has demanded an end to preferential deals of gas to Ukraine and offered the neighbor cash payments for the transit of gas to Europe.

Khristenko said the two sides have not carved out specific deals on gas supplies from Russia although they shared an understanding on the need to complete talks on it.

The two prime ministers "agreed to set the date of their future meeting depending on the outcome of negotiations," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2005)