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Increase in prices of petroleum products due to increase in imports Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the parliamentary faction of the Party of the Regions, has said that the increase in the prices of petroleum products is due to an increase in the volume of import of petroleum products.

Yanukovych was speaking on the Luhansk regional television channel.

"You are probably interested in the issue of why prices are rising. Because the government's policy today is a policy of open doors for imports, and we have 30-40% more imported fuel today than we had during our government," Yanukovych said in response to questions from television viewers.

Yanukovych said that the government tried to buy less gasoline and more petroleum products requiring refining when he was the prime minister of the country.

According to him, this created conditions for employment of Ukrainian citizens and gave the Cabinet of Ministers greater control over the prices of fuel.

"We imported only 10% light petroleum products and 90% was supplied by local producers from Ukrainian petroleum refineries," Yanukovych said.

Yanukovych expressed the view that the increase in the prices of petroleum products would result in an increase in the prices o consumer goods and the rate of inflation.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the bulk wholesale prices of gasoline have increased by 78.99% for the А-76/80 gasoline brand, 64.02% for the А-92 brand, and by 61.78% for the А-95 brand since the beginning of 2009.

The bulk wholesale prices of diesel fuel have increased by 7.57% since the beginning of 2009.

Parliamentary Deputy Yurii Boiko of the Party of the Regions is forecasting that prices of petroleum products will increase to more than UAH 10 per liter.