MOSCOW, March 25 - Ukraine’s plan to buy more gas from Europe and reduce imports from Russia will not work because European prices are rising, Russia’s OAO Gazprom said, Reuters reported.

The comment may be signaling that Russia will not budge in a price dispute with Kiev.

Ukraine, a transit route for more than half of Russian gas shipped to the European Union, wants to pay less for gas from Russia because it says a 2009 deal with Moscow set an exorbitant price, and aims to buy more from Europe.