Moscow (dpa) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he would be ready to offer a temporary extension of a contract on gas supply to and through Ukraine if current negotiations fall through.

Such a temporary extension would be possible if Russia, Ukraine and the European Union failed to come to an agreement quickly, Putin said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Moscow.

The three parties have been trying for months to agree to a new deal on the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian pipelines to Western Europe as well as about the gas supply for Ukraine itself.

The issue is critical for the European Union as several member states rely on Russian natural gas deliveries.

A current 10-year contract runs until the end of this year.

Talks brokered by the EU Commission have so far failed to reach a breakthrough.

"Ukraine is currently trying to implement the European energy package", Putin said. Should this succeed by the end of the year, Russia would be prepared to sign a transit agreement under European law. However, should no agreement be reached, which is likely, then the current contract could be extended, Putin suggested.

An extension would have to be approved by the Ukrainian parliament, he added. "This is not very easy."

The planned expansion of the Nord Stream pipeline, which connects Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea, will reduce reliance on the transit route through Ukraine - although Moscow has promised not to close this supply route entirely. Kiev earns money from transit fees.