Roskomos spokesman Vyacheslav Davydenko told AFP that since the US space shuttles stopped supplying the jointly manned station in the wake of the February 2003 Columbia disaster Russia had been shouldering the burden.

He did not say how much the United States would be asked to pay for the flights, but explained that the reimbursements would be part of a broad review of cost-sharing arrangements including debts owed by Russia.

Space agency chief Antoly Perminov would fly to the United States early next year to discuss the resumption of shuttle flights.

Perminov earlier this week told the ITAR-TASS news agency that "we shall bring the American astronauts to the ISS on a commercial basis" in 2006.

"We accepted a temporary barter scheme for the operation of the ISS in 2005. The US writes off Russian debts for man-hours while Russia carries astronauts by Soyuz ships for free," he said.

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