The Belarusian president said his country would pay a £230m (€341m) gas bill to Russia in the next few days, possibly with the help of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

The stand-off between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies sent a shiver running through western European countries fearing they may become innocent victims of the dispute between Moscow and Kiev.

Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom halted sales to Ukraine today in a price dispute.