President Vladimir Putin threatened the “extreme measure” on Thursday of cutting off Russian gas for Ukraine unless the country pays in advance for all its supplies. In a stark letter to 18 world leaders, Mr Putin acknowledged that, in such a “critical situation”, gas deliveries to the European Union would also be jeopardised. Mr Putin’s threat suggests that Russia is preparing to use its control of gas supplies to escalate the pressure on Ukraine and the country’s European allies. -- David Blair and Emily Gosden, The Daily Telegraph, 11 April 2014