Moscow  - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday urged his Ukrainian counterpart to provide for gas experts to be quickly deployed to monitor gas flows to Europe - a key condition for Russian reopen the taps.

Medvedev, who spoke by phone with President Viktor Yushchenko late Monday, said Russia was ready to immediately resume negotiations on a new contract for gas shipments to Ukraine in 2009, the Kremlin said.

The contractual spar between the two country's gas monopolies Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy sparked Russia's first reduction of gas, saying it would not keep supplying Ukrainian after January 1 without an agreement on pricing and non-payments by Kiev.

Medvedev reiterated that Ukraine should in the future pay market price it gas and must settle a 614 million dollar debt for late payments in 2008 that Kiev disputes.

Gazprom has raised its asking price to 450 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres, closer to prices paid by the European Union.

Ukraine, which paid 179.5 dollars for Russian gas last year, earlier rejected an earlier offer for gas at 250 dollars in 2009, saying it would pay somewhere between 201 and
236 dollars.

Last Wednesday, Gazprom halted all shipments to stop Ukraine's alleged thieving of gas destined for European clients, causing thousands of people to suffer without heat in one of the coldest winters the continent has seen in a decade.

The EU-brokered gas monitoring deal will allow Russia to resume gas flows on Tuesday morning at 10 am Moscow time (0700 GMT), Gazprom said after all parties signed a copy of the accord in extraordinary meetings in Brussels Monday. (dpa)