BRUSSELS, Jan 22 - Andriy Kobolev, the chairman of the board of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrayiny, has expressed surprise at the offer of Russia's Gazprom to continue the contract on Russian gas transit through Ukraine to European countries signed in 2009 without expert consultations.

"I was surprised by Mr. Miller's offer [Head of Russia's Gazprom Alexey Miller] to simply continue the contract. Here I can only say that Naftogaz Ukrayiny is ready to consider future agreements or anything else only if they completely comply with the European legislation, which was implemented in Ukraine," Kobolev told journalists in Brussels after the tripartite Ukraine-Russia-EC negotiations on future transit at the political level.