He added that the Kremlin had extended an invitation to the acting Ukranian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov .

FORBES: Magazine Article

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov has hit back at Russia with two of his own looming threats.

FORBES: Putin's Ukraine Dispute Rages Over Gazprom Pricing

Now Yekhanurov has threatened to refer the dispute to an international arbitrator, the Stockholm Institute, whose decision could be legally binding for both countries.

FORBES: Putin's Ukraine Dispute Rages Over Gazprom Pricing

On September 20th, Yuri Yekhanurov Mr Yushchenko's proposed replacement for Yulia Timoshenko, the prime minister whom he sacked, along with her cabinet, on September 8th was narrowly rejected by parliament.

ECONOMIST: Ukrainian politics

After the resignation of key officials amid a corruption scandal, Ukraine's president, Viktor Yushchenko, dismissed the government of Yulia Timoshenko and asked Yuri Yekhanurov, a regional governor, to become prime minster.

ECONOMIST: Katrina's aftermath

Subject to confirmation by parliament, the new prime minister will be Yuri Yekhanurov, a technocrat who has signalled a less aggressive attitude to past privatisations and a more conciliatory one to Russia sensible, given that a rise in Russian gas prices could be disastrous.

ECONOMIST: The dream of a democratic, non-corrupt Ukraine may die