EU wants to monitor Russian gas flow via Ukraine

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The European Union wants to check the flow of Russian gas destined for the EU through Ukraine and believes Moscow and Kiev are ready to accept a monitoring mission, senior EU figures said on Wednesday.

Russia shut off gas supplies on Wednesday, raising concerns in Europe, which depends on Russia for one quarter of its gas.

"Tomorrow in Brussels Gazprom Chairman (Alexei) Miller and Naftogaz Chairman (Oleh) Dubyna will hopefully ... be able to agree technical conditions of a monitoring mission that would monitor all eight transit points on the Russian-Ukraine border," Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said.

"If this is agreed, nothing will stand in the way for transit supplies to be restored ... That does not mean that success is 100 percent assured," Topolanek, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told a news conference.

Topolanek said he was preparing an emergency meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels on Monday.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Russia and Ukraine both were ready to accept the EU monitors.

"If Ukraine wants to be closer to the EU it should not create any problems for gas to come to the EU," Barroso said.

Barroso said the monitors should check on the actual flow of gas from Russia to Ukraine.

"If both Russia and Ukraine behave as they are saying they are behaving, there should be no problem."

(Reporting by Mark John; Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Giles Elgood)