"Yushchenko has instructed the Cabinet to ensure the transit of Russian gas across Ukrainian territory," Iryna Vannykova said adding the instructions came after the president discussed the situation with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso over the telephone.
Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 after talks on debt and a gas price for 2009 broke down. On January 7, Moscow cut off shipments to Europe accusing Ukraine of siphoning off gas in transit for European consumers. Kiev has denied the accusation.
Moscow has said it will resume supplies when a deal on monitoring gas transits is signed by Russia, Ukraine and the EU, and international monitors are deployed.
The parties are to sign a new version of the gas transit deal after Moscow rejected the original one late on Sunday, saying Kiev had added conditions to the document after it had been signed by Moscow, which it called "mockery of common sense."
Energy ministers from the 27 EU member-states will hold an emergency meeting later on Monday to discuss the gas crisis, which has affected households, schools, hospitals and factories in some 20 EU countries during a period of particularly cold weather.
Vannykova said Barroso had told the Ukrainian leader that Russia was prepared to restore supplies.
