Russian, Ukrainian Prime Ministers To Meet In Moscow For Gas Talks

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov (right) with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev (file photo)

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Azarov, will meet in Moscow to discuss a number of issues, including a contentious gas deal.

Before leaving for Moscow on November 21, Azarov will chair a session of the Ukrainian government to agree on Ukraine's position on the energy issue.

For more than two years, Ukraine has been seeking to revise the existing gas deals between the two counties.

In 2009, Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy concluded a ten-year agreement.

According to the deal, Ukraine must pay huge fines to Gazprom for consuming less gas than specified in the agreement.

The agreement obliges Ukraine to import no less than 33 billion cubic meters of gas each year.

This year, Ukraine says it will import 26 billion cubic meters of Russian gas.

Based on reporting Interfax and ITAR-TASS