Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine a three-month reprieve in a bitter gas price dispute on Saturday, but only gave Kiev until the end of the day to accept Moscow's terms, Reuters reported. Ukraine replied that although it agreed in principle to paying market prices for gas, it wanted clearer guidance on exactly what numbers Russia had in mind. Russia has said it will cut off gas supplies to Ukraine from 0700 GMT on Jan. 1 if there is no agreement, sparking fears that deliveries to snowbound Europe could be affected. Putin told gas monopoly Gazprom to supply Ukraine at 2005 prices for the first three months of next year if Kiev signed a new contract agreeing to "market prices" from April. "Above all Ukraine is a brother nation and we must think about the whole relationship between Russia and Ukraine," Putin told a televised meeting of the Security Council at which the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, was present. Gazprom wanted Ukraine, led by pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko since last year's "Orange Revolution", to agree to steep increases in prices for its gas -- to $230 per 1,000 cubic metres from the current $50. "Should there be no clear reply we will consider that our offer has been rejected," Putin added.
