MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is ready to immediately resume talks on natural gas supplies at market prices to Ukrainian consumers in 2009, the Kremlin press service quoted the Russian president as saying on Monday.

"Russia is ready to resume talks without delay between Gazprom and Naftogaz on a contract for Russian natural gas deliveries to Ukraine in 2009," Dmitry Medvedev told Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in a phone conversation.

He added that the gas would be delivered at market prices.

Gazprom earlier said that since Ukraine refused to accept a preferential price offer of $250 per 1,000 cubic meters, it would have to pay "an average European market price of $450-470."

However, Yushchenko's energy security representative Bohdan Sokolovskiy said on Monday that in that case Ukraine would have to significantly raise its gas transit fees - from the current $1.7 per 100 kilometers to "an average European rate" of $4.7.

Medvedev also said Kiev must take all the necessary measures for international monitors to start supervising Russian natural gas transit to Europe via Ukraine as soon as possible.

He stressed that only after this would Russia be able to immediately begin the transit of gas to European consumers via Ukraine, and gradually restore the regular level of transit.

The Russian president also told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Russian-Ukrainian gas cooperation memorandum signed in October 2008 was no longer valid and could not be used as a basis for further talks.

On October 2, 2008, the two countries' prime ministers signed an intergovernmental memorandum on cooperation in the gas sphere, which was to become a basis for the signing of a contract to supply and transit gas in 2009. No contract has yet been signed.

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