Russian gas price for Ukraine may double from 2009

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's gas export monopoly will most likely have to more than double gas prices for Ukraine from 2009 as it pays more for gas imports from Central Asia, chief executive Alexei Miller said on Friday.

Miller told a news conference prices would most likely rise above $400 per 1,000 cubic meters from $179.5 this year.

Gazprom supplies Europe with a quarter of its gas needs, mainly via Ukraine, and its previous gas pricing disputes with Kiev led to serious disruptions in supplies to both Ukraine and Europe.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; editing by Amie Ferris-Rotman)