LAURA Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a plea to the European Union and United States on Friday, asking them to help cash-strapped Ukraine raise funds to pay for Russian gas purchases and warning about escalation of the gas crisis.
He also said he hoped a deal would be reached next week with Ukraine to end a long-running dispute in which Moscow has halted natural gas supplies to Kiev, part of the row at the heart of deepest East-West rift since the Cold War.
