Moscow and Kyiv are preparing for a state visit by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to Russia, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov said at a conference entitled "Ukrainian Election Results and Russia-Ukraine Cooperation Prospects" in Kyiv on Friday.

"Preparations for a state visit by Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych to Russia are underway," he said.

As a rule, state visits last for two days, but a three-day visit is being considered with a trip to Nizhny Novgorod, which will host a Russian-Ukrainian inter-regional forum, he said.

The ambassador did not say for when the visit is scheduled.

The Nizhny Novgorod forum was not held in November due to the parliamentary election in Ukraine.

It is quite possible that the forum will be timed to coincide with the state visit of the Ukrainian leader, Zurabov said.

As known, a working visit of Yanukovych to Russia had been planned for December 18 but deferred.

The Ukrainian presidential press service noted that topical cooperation issues, primarily energy, trade and economic affairs, were the subjects of the Ukrainian-Russian summit. For instance, the sides planned to elaborate a mutually acceptable mechanism of the Ukrainian interaction with the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

"The successful implementation of these agreements requires additional consultations of experts. Therefore, the sides have agreed to delay the visit," the press service said.