Russia orders Gazprom to stop Ukraine gas flow

MOSCOW, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) to halt gas supplies via Ukraine on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported.

In a meeting with Putin, Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller proposed halting deliveries of gas to the Russian-Ukraine border because Kiev was siphoning off the fuel, Interfax news agency reported.

Putin agreed to the proposal and said: "This should be done openly, in the presence of international observers." (Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Christian Lowe)