Ukraine hopes that the price for Russian gas will be lowered and that the new price of gas will not significantly exceed the price Russia charges Belarus. Ukraine hopes that the price for Russian gas will be lowered and that the new price of gas will not significantly exceed the price Russia charges Belarus, Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Tigipko told reporters on March 18.

"This price should not be significantly higher than, say, that for Belarus," he said.

Tigipko said that the economies of Ukraine and Belarus were quite similar, which gives grounds for their having similar prices for Russian gas.

He said that during expected talks, Ukraine could avoid making any political concessions to Russia in exchange for a compromise on the gas price.

"We have prices for transit, and we should make no political or financial concessions," Tigipko said.

He also noted that Ukraine's state oil and gas company Naftogaz should pay itself for gas starting from April 2010.

"After March, Naftogaz should pay for gas itself," Tigipko said.

He said that it was yet difficult to raise gas prices for the public, because compensatory mechanisms were not being applied with respect to the least well off.

"The most correct and the easiest way out is to ask the Russians to review their gas prices," he said.