KIEV, Nov. 10 - Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych, the frontrunner in opinion polls ahead of the next presidential election, accused Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of “blackmailing” the European Union with warnings over natural gas supply problems.

Yanukovych reacted to a warning from Deputy Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria that Ukraine will have problems in January with paying for gas imports if the International Monetary Fund delays its lending.