Dec 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine could develop an alternative model with Poland to substitute for the loss of the Russian gas transit route to Europe via its territory, its deputy energy minister said on Wednesday.

The model envisages cooperation between Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities and LNG terminals in Poland, Mykola Kolisnyk said.

"We expect long-term and medium-term contracting procedures to be introduced in a business mechanism similar to business models in the U.S.," said Kolisnyk

"This will help Ukraine and Poland to store as much gas as needed for the whole of Eastern Europe."

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa)

((Yuliia.Dysa@thomsonreuters.com;))