Ukraine is not conflicting with Russia over the gas price, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said.
"This is not a conflict, but the difference of opinion, and we announced this immediately after coming to power," Yanukovych said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, which was published on the Web site of the Ukrainian president on Friday.
He said that the gas contract between Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom was "unfair and incorrect" with respect to Ukraine.
"It was a personal decision by [former Prime Minister Yulia] Tymoshenko, which was at odds with the opinion of the Cabinet of Ministers she led. Her motives could be different, and I do not have enough information to judge about this. But the price per thousand cubic meters is too high, and it was set at $450, when the price was $179.5. Today, it should be less than $200," he said.
Yanukovych said that the agreement signed with Russia in Kharkiv last year foresaw a discount on Russian gas for Ukraine at $100 in exchange for the extension of a lease on the stationing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
"We are seeking ways to resolve our problems within a year," Yanukovych said.
