The two nations separately signed agreements with the European Union this weekend to set up international monitoring at gas inlets and outlets in both countries. Russia said it had to receive a copy of Ukraine's monitoring document with the EU as a prerequisite to resuming supplies.
"Europe should send a clear signal to Ukraine that it should behave in a normal, civilized way rather than pressing Russia to sell its commodities for close to nothing," Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Germany's ARD channel to be broadcast on Wednesday.
According to Putin, Russian energy giant Gazprom has lost some $800 million since the transit of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine was disrupted on January 7 due to reduced deliveries to European consumers.
He added that the monopoly had also been "forced to suspend the work of more than 100 of its wells."
Meanwhile, the EU market, which gets 80% of its Russian gas via Ukraine, has lost 30% of its total gas imports.
The European Commission said on its website some 20 countries had been affected by the Russia-Ukraine gas row, especially in the Balkan region, "where the crisis has left tens of thousands of households in the cold and forced schools, hospitals and factories to close."
Putin suggested Ukraine should privatize its gas transit system, and said Russia would take part in any privatization, although he said Ukraine considered its pipeline network a national resource "that came from heaven above and therefore is not subject to privatization."
"We could take part in the privatization, if Ukraine makes such a decision," the Russian PM told the German television.
The latest gas conflict escalated early this month, when Russia ended deliveries to Ukraine after talks on debt and a 2009 contract broke down, leading to a complete break in Russian gas deliveries to Europe via Ukraine.
