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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, right, and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko talk to each other as they leave the news conference after their talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. AP Experts have praised the results of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's visit to Moscow.

President of the Open Policy Analytical Center Ihor Zhdanov said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Thursday that it was important that her visit to Russia had taken place, as it had been postponed several times.

"Ukrainian-Russian relations are currently at a difficult and critical [stage] to some extent, and the prime minister's visit to Moscow was very important," he said.

Zhdanov said that the decision to lift the threat of sanctions from Ukraine for buying less gas in 2009, which was taken during the visit, is important as well.

"The position of Russia on its participation in modernizing [Ukraine's] gas transit system [also] became more clear," he said.

"I don't think that after the well-known [gas] declaration [signed between Ukraine and the EU] in Brussels, there will be any serious reaction from Europe in respect to Russia's involvement in the modernization of the [Ukrainian] gas transit system," he said, adding that it is important that Russia participates in this project in a transparent and clear way.

Zhdanov also described Russian-Ukrainian agreements in nuclear energy as successful.

"Of course, this visit by the premier also had a political context," he said.

"Russia will not most likely gamble on one of [Ukraine's] candidates [for president]. It won't estimate certain [political] figures, but it will estimate the policy being carried out by certain candidates. I think the situation of 2004 will not happen again. There won't be any candidate whom Russia will support," he said.

Director of the Agency for Modeling Situations Vitaliy Bala said that Tymoshenko's visit to Russia "showed that relations between Ukraine and Russia are entering an economic, rather than a political stage."

In his opinion, it is necessary to switch to the regional level in the fight against the effects of the global economic crisis, by creating "anti-crisis regional alliances."

Director of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting Ihor Burakovsky said that the "gas meeting" between the Ukrainian and Russian premiers "was held under qualitatively new conditions."

He said that "gas issues became regional," and added that "both our countries and the countries of the European Union are amid the crisis."

"The crisis makes all of us review our positions," Burakovsky said.

"The crisis and the agreement with the European Union [the declaration signed in Brussels] have caused our relations with Russia to become more pragmatic," he said.