Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov says Russia did not make Ukraine's joining the customs union within the Common Economic Space being created by Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan a condition for revising gas agreements between the Naftohaz Ukrainy national oil and gas company and Russia's Gazprom gas monopoly.
Azarov said this during a political talk show on the Inter television channel.
"Conditions of this type were not articulated," said Azarov.
The Ukrainian prime minister said he continued to insist on revising the gas agreements with Russia.
"Once against [Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin] said he saw the contracts as being very good. We [the Ukrainian delegation] agreed that the contract is absolutely perfect for Russia and we do not argue on this. We expressed our viewpoint which is opposite to that point of view," said Azarov.
Azarov said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin admitted the contract’s containing certain provisions that can cause founded objections of the Ukrainian side.
The Ukrainian prime minister said the negotiations of October 27 were in friendly atmosphere. Azarov said he did not see during the negotiations that Putin was in a bad mood or feeling ill.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine and Russia intend to create an ad hoc team to study possibilities for revision of gas contracts.
