Ukraine will not sacrifice its sovereignty to get lower gas price - Yanukovych

13:36, 01.03.2013 1 min read

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said Ukraine will not sacrifice its sovereignty in the talks with Russia on the reduction of the gas price.

"We don't want to trade in our sovereignty in this issue and we will not do so. However, it's clear that we have to make concessions and find a price that Russia will accept to change the contract," Yanukovych told a press conference on Friday.

Yanukovych called the gas supply contract with Russia "murderous to the Ukrainian economy," adding that Ukraine will seek a reduction of the price in the negotiations with Russia.

"It's very difficult for us to accuse Russia of something. They secured their national interests […] It's now their right to change the contract or not to change it. For this reason, we now need to seek ways to resolve this issue," he said.