BRUSSELS: Russia and Ukraine began fresh EU-brokered gas supply talks Wednesday, with Moscow extending a cut-off deadline to next week in the latest signs the worst East-West crisis in years may be easing.

The negotiations are being closely watched to see if they confirm recent signs that both sides want to bring some sort of closure to a crisis that began with pro-EU protests in Kiev six months ago.

If successful, the talks would build on a tentative peace push by Kiev’s new president who on Tuesday ordered the creation of humanitarian corridors in the country’s war-torn east, meeting a key demand of Russia.

“The Russian side has taken a step in favor of pursuing negotiations which have been going on quite intensely,” Gazprom head Alexei Miller said after a meeting with EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger.

President Vladimir Putin meanwhile told German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a telephone conversation that he had ordered the Russian delegation to pursue negotiations from a “constructive position” in order to reach “a mutually acceptable agreement.”

Oettinger chaired a marathon round of talks on Monday with Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak and his Ukraine counterpart Yuriy Prodan but they broke up early Tuesday without an accord as the Gazprom cut-off deadline loomed.

With all sides agreeing that as long as the talks continued there would be no Russian cut-off, Oettinger announced another round of talks for Wednesday.

There would be no early breakthrough, he cautioned, with a deal likely to take days to reach.

Highlighting the challenges ahead Wednesday, Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk blasted Russia for playing “games” after Moscow offered a $100 discount on the gas price.

“We know these Russian games: a discount is set by a Russian government decision and rescinded by a Russian government decision. Our position remains the same — we want a change to the contract,” Yatsenyuk said.

“All the traps and hooks that Russia is once again laying out for us are unacceptable,” he said.

Moscow says Kiev owes it $4.5 billion in outstanding bills but Ukraine has refused to pay in protest at Russia’s decision to nearly double the price in the wake of the February ouster of Kremlin-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych after months of protests.

Analysts expect the two sides to agree a price of around $350 per thousand cubic meters of gas, about halfway between Russia’s old rate of $268.50 and the $485 set after Yanukovych’s replacement by a pro-Western government in Kiev.

Gazprom said Wednesday it had pushed back a supply cut-off deadline to June 16 to give the two sides more time to reach a deal.

About 15 percent of Europe’s gas from Russia transits through Ukraine, leaving it uncomfortably reliant on a Russia which turned the taps off in similar disputes with Kiev in 2006 and 2009.