Russian premier to visit Kiev, to urge Ukraine to join Customs Union

MOSCOW, April 12 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
is expected to make a working visit to Ukraine Tuesday.
Apart from the issues that are traditional for the talks between
Russia's leaders and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, he will also
raise the issue of Ukraine's joining the Customs Union now being formed by
Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Putin has made it clear to his Ukrainian counterparts more than once
that the three member-states of the Customs Union would be quite glad to
see one more former Soviet republic join them.
He indicated that the move might bring substantial dividends to
Ukraine.
For instance, Russia's major producer and exporter of natural gas, OAO
Gazprom, which supplies the bulk of gas consumed by Ukraine, has made
known the possibility of slashing the price of gas for the Ukrainian
customers by almost a half to $ 150 to $ 160 per thousand cubic meters in
case Ukraine joins the Customs Union.
"Now that all the political rubbish in our relations with Ukraine has
been thrown away, we can see clearly the Ukraine partners' interest in
drawing maximum benefits in the sphere of economy out of participation in
integrative associations," Putin said.
He voiced the confidence that the process will stimulate the trends
towards integration in the post-Soviet space, although he admitted that
coordination of positions is an intricate and subtle matter.
"Those who will be joining it later will have to proceed from the
agreements that we have to achieve amid so much hard work," Putin said.
The government press service said that the session of the
Russian-Ukrainian interstate economic commission will also consider a
deepening of collaboration in a number of other spheres, like power
generating industry, nuclear power, aircraft manufacturing, space
exploration, transport, technologies, innovations, agriculture and related
industries.