MOSCOW, May 14 - Russia will restart gas talks with Ukraine if it pays off at least part of its gas debt, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday, softening Moscow's stance in a dispute that has raised fears of a new "gas war,” Reuters reported.

Suggesting Russia would be open to a price revision, Medvedev struck the most conciliatory tone yet since Russian state-controlled Gazprom almost doubled prices after protesters toppled Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych.