MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti)-A former prime minister of Ukraine and current opposition leader said Wednesday that his country's policy on Russia failed to uphold its interests.

Viktor Yanukovych, the unsuccessful Kremlin-backed candidate in the 2004 presidential elections that led to Viktor Yushchenko being swept to power on the back of popular discontent, criticized the authorities' approach to relations with Russia.

"It [the policy] has significantly exacerbated the economic situation in Ukraine and has not brought any benefits in relations with Europe," he told a local Ukrainian radio station.

Russia and Ukraine were involved in a bitter dispute over prices for natural gas delivered by Russian energy giant Gazprom, which cut off supplies of Russia's neighbor on January 1 after talks failed to bring any agreement. In the wake of this move, the concern said a fall in gas arriving at European destinations via three pipelines through Ukrainian territory had been registered. The dispute was settled on January 4.