Ukraine's leadership is doing everything possible to correct the negative situation with the turnover between Ukraine and Russia, Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov has said.

"The government is ready to discuss the issue we have today at our major industrial enterprises. Now it is the determinative month: the formation of production plans and orders for 2014. The main problem the government and the president are focusing on now is our trade and economic relations with the Russian Federation. I'd like to hear the opinion of our manufacturers: what has to be done to minimize the negative effect associated with the reduction of our trade with Russia," Azarov said at a meeting with the representatives of Ukrainian manufacturers, according to the Web site of the Cabinet of Ministers.

He noted that since the beginning of this year the trade turnover between Ukraine and Russia has fallen by almost a quarter and assured that "the president and the government are doing everything possible to rectify the situation."

Industrialists, in turn, made proposals regarding the protection and support of national producers. In particular, they talked about strengthening negotiations with foreign partners, measures to revitalize the domestic market, including the promotion of import substitution, the reduction of pressure from controlling authorities and a greater assistance to small and medium businesses in increasing production.

Industrialists stressed that 52% of produce of the Ukrainian machine building industry is exported to Russia. Today there is a very serious situation with the reduction of production, which could lead to the release of a significant number of employees and the loss of budget revenues. This, first of all, concerns transport building, chemical industry, metallurgy, pipe manufacturing, and food industry.

"The government should have a clear plan of actions to minimize these risks. It is necessary to strengthen negotiation, diplomatic and legal processes to implement commitments undertaken with Russia and other states that signed the agreement on a free trade area with the CIS," President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Anatoliy Kinakh said.

In the conditions of recession on foreign markets it is needed to maximally activate the domestic market, he added.