KIEV, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Sunday his country had secured Moscow’s pledge to review a gas contract Kiev believes to be unfavorable.
“We have been persistently trying to persuade the Russian Federation to review the contract,” Azarov told Ukrainian TV channel ICTV.
“Now, generally speaking, there is such a pledge, and we hope we will implement it during the talks,” he said.
Earlier, Ukraine said it could give up imports of Russian gas unless the gas contract negotiated in 2009 by then-Russian and Ukrainian premiers Vladimir Putin and Yulia Tymoshenko was reviewed. Russia said unilateral attempts to review the contract would entail legal consequences.
The Ukrainian government announced November 21 it was halting plans to sign long-discussed trade and association deals with the EU, because of the damage it would do to trade with Russia. It said it would seek closer cooperation with Russia and the Moscow-led Customs Union that also comprises Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The EU blamed unprecedented Russian pressure on Kiev for the Ukrainian decision to suspend the deals, but Moscow denied any strong-arm tactics. Earlier this year, Moscow suspended imports of some Ukrainian goods and warned that preferential trade agreements with Ukraine would end if it signed the EU deals.
Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Tymoshenko called on the government Friday to review its decision to suspend the EU deal. Tymoshenko was in 2011 sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing of her power while serving as prime minister by overseeing the gas contract with Russia determined to be financially unfavorable for Ukraine. She insists the charges were politically motivated.
