You're reading: Yanukovych: Ukraine will do whatever it takes to restore relations with Russia

Ukraine will do whatever it takes to restore healthy relations with neighboring Russia, Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych said.

"Ukraine attaches a lot of importance to its relations with the Russian Federation. We are doing everything possible to ensure that our joint actions taken in this difficult period bring relations between our countries to a level of strategic partnership," Yanukovych said during a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov

"You have made a lot of progress in studying the Ukrainian language, and I think that’s a good sign too," Yanukovych told Zurabov.