* Contract due to expire at end of 2024
* Ukraine has said it won't join talks about contract renewal
* Russia has said it will find other ways to export gas
* Analysts say ending the contract shouldn't impact Europe's energy security
BRUSSELS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A European Union official on Friday declined to speculate on whether a contract to import Russian gas via Ukraine will be extended beyond the end of 2024, but said the bloc was assessing all scenarios to ensure its preparedness.
Russia slashed gas deliveries to Europe since its Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine, prompting a European drive to replace Russian fuel with alternative supplies and renewable energy.
An end to the five-year gas pipeline transit agreement between Moscow and Kyiv could cause European gas prices to rise slightly, but is unlikely to compromise Europe's overall security of energy supplies, analysts said on Friday.
"What we are doing is working closely with the member states... so as to anticipate all possible scenarios and ensure preparedness accordingly," the EU official said.
Since the Ukraine war began, Norway has overtaken Russia as Europe's top pipeline gas supplier and the EU has hiked its imports of liquefied natural gas from countries including the United States.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday Russia would find alternative routes to export its gas if Ukraine does not extend the agreement beyond its Dec. 31 expiry. Ukraine has previously said it will not join talks on a renewal of the contract.
'DISCUSSED SOLUTIONS'
European gas buyers may agree to take Russian gas at the Russia-Ukraine border if the contract is not renewed, Slovak transmission system operator Eustream said on Friday.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said after visiting Ukraine on Wednesday that Slovakia was interested in finding a solution that would allow gas flows through Ukraine to continue.
"There is still the option being discussed to include a third party in the process, for example a consortium of European customers, who would take over the gas on the Russia-Ukraine border," Slovakia's Eustream said.
"This European party would then order shipment of the natural gas from the Ukrainian transmission system operator, and hand it over at the Ukraine-Slovak border from where it would be shipped further under the same regime as at present under valid transmission contracts."
"It is one of the discussed solutions, while Ukrainian representatives have said publicly that they have interest in being a reliable partner."
Slovakia is partially dependent on Russian pipeline gas supplies and also ships gas from Ukraine further, mainly to Austria.
Europe receives around 12 billion cubic metres of gas per year through the Ukraine route, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights, but is no longer reliant on Russian gas.
"Europe would physically be able to get by without this gas," said Jacob Mandel, Senior Associate at Aurora Energy Research.
European gas prices have dropped to around a tenth of the peak they hit during the 2022 energy crisis. EU-wide gas storage is unusually full for the time of year, at 73% of capacity, Gas Infrastructure Europe data show. (Reporting by Kate Abnett, Nina Chestney; additional reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Elaine Hardcastle)
