Ukraine’s new president heads to Moscow in a hope to get a new gas deal
By APFriday, March 5, 2010
Ukraine’s president heads to Moscow to talk gas
MOSCOW — Ukraine’s new president is meeting with his Russian counterpart to talk gas.
The Kremlin says Viktor Yanukovych will hold talks with Dmitry Medvedev Thursday afternoon.
Yanukovych, who was sworn in last week, is anxious to get lower prices for natural gas Russia supplies to Ukraine.
During his election campaign, the Kremlin-friendly hopeful said he would offer Russia a role in managing Ukraine’s pipeline system in return for lower prices.
Russia’s gas monopolist Gazprom said earlier this week, however, that it had received no such offer yet.
Russia and Ukraine signed the gas deal in January 2009 after a bitter stand-off that left thousands of homes across Europe without heat in the dead of winter.
