Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the shutdown of transit of Russian gas supplies to Europe after Russia cut supplies to Belarus by a third in a debt dispute.

The maverick Belarussian leader said he would not tolerate humiliation by Russian authorities as he accused Russian state gas giant Gazprom of not paying his country for gas transit.

"I have now ordered the government to shut down transit through Belarus until Gazprom pays for transit," Lukashenko said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in televised remarks.

Russia earlier announced that it was reducing supplies to Belarus by 30 percent of normal daily volume after Minsk had taken no steps to resolve a debt to Gazprom of nearly 200 million dollars (163 million euros).

Belarus for its part says Gazprom owes it more than 200 million dollars in transit fees.

In an escalating war of words, Lukashenko slammed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, saying his behaviour and rhetoric was not befitting of a head of state.

After Belarus yesterday offered to cover the gas bill with machinery and equipment, Medvedev went on television and said Russia could accept "neither pies nor butter not cheese nor pancakes nor any other means of payment."

"The Russian leadership's statement humiliates the Belarussian people," Lukashenko told Lavrov.

"I am sorry, when they start humiliating us with either cutlets or sausages or butter or pancakes, we perceive this as an offence to the Belarussian people."

The Belarussian government said earlier Tuesday that Gazprom owes Belarus 217 million dollars in transit fees, though Lukashenko later set the figure at 260 million dollars.

Gazprom has said Belarus needs to pay it 192 million dollars in arrears.

"They have not paid us a kopeck in this half year," Lukashenko said.