Brussels, 27/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The adoption of a joint declaration between the EU and Ukraine on modernisation of the gas transit system continues to upset Russia to the point that it is threatening to review all its relations with the Union. Immediately after the international conference on 23 March in Brussels, Russia's energy minister had said he was disappointed about the fact that Russia had been left to one side. He also clearly stated that any project to modernise the gas network in Ukraine without involving Russia (as the gas supplier) was deemed to failure (EUROPE 9867). The same evening in Moscow, Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had threatened to review relations with the EU if Moscow's interests were ignored. On Wednesday, Gazprom warned Ukrainian authorities that any modification of its gas pipelines without Moscow's approval would affect natural gas deliveries to Europe. “Changes not approved in the Ukraine gas pipeline network would have an immediate effect not only on exports but also on production in Russia and Central Asia, which could have unforeseeable consequences on the whole of Euro-Asian territory”, a senior Gazprom official said. On 26 March, a spokesman from the Foreign Ministry added to this, saying that Russia considers the EU's decision to help Ukraine to modernise its gas pipelines was an “unfriendly act”. (H.B./transl.jl)