Gazprom's spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said on the Vesti 24 TV news channel that the Russian gas monopoly would not continue gas deliveries to Ukraine without a new contract, but said that Gazprom hoped that the issue would be resolved before the New Year.
Kupriyanov added that he would like to avoid gas cuts in the future, although saying that "no progress has yet been made."
"There is still time to reach an agreement," he said adding: "As soon as the debts are paid, we are ready to sign direct contracts."
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko ordered the government on Friday to pay the country's debt to Russia for natural gas supplies within five days.
The order came a day after Gazprom announced that Ukraine had $2.4 billion in outstanding debt for gas supplies, and President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the company to urgently recover the debt.
The Gazprom spokesman said that the sum to be paid by Ukraine includes debts for September-October, and November, as well as fines for delayed payments.
He added however that Gazprom was drafting a package of documents on long-term gas supply contracts to Ukraine.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller earlier said the price of the natural gas Gazprom sells to Ukraine could rise to over $400 per 1,000 cubic meters as of the start of next year.
