President refuses to cancel gas deal

At a press conference in Kyiv, Victor Yushchenko said he did not want to cancel the controversial Russian-Ukrainian gas deal: “I don’t think it’s now expedient to revise this document”, according to the President’s press-office.

He reiterated that Ukraine still paid Europe’s cheapest gas price: “This is the cheapest price for the countries surrounding Russia. It would be politically stupid to annul the agreement. If you can’t make it better, don’t make it worse.”

Mr. Yushchenko then said there were some positive results of Ukraine’s decision to stop murky barter schemes, which "were inconsistent with our national interests."

“I’m happy that Ukraine earns about USD 500 mln every quarter for transporting Russian gas,” he said.