Ukraine tells Russia not to use natural gas as a "weapon"

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk urged Russia on Tuesday not to use natural gas as a "weapon" against his country, and accused Moscow of seizing tens of billions of dollars' worth of its assets and energy resources in Crimea.

Russian energy giant Gazprom earlier demanded a $1.66 billion (985 million pounds) pre-payment from Kiev for June gas deliveries, saying Ukraine had only half its requirements in storage to ensure a trouble-free winter.