Kiev to Ask for Uzbek Gas

Ukraine is so keen to buy more of Uzbekistan’s natural gas that Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich will visit Tashkent in April to try to persuade President Islam Karimov to sign a new supply agreement. Ukraine wants to increase its order from two billion cubic metres of gas a year to 10 billion, which would be one of the largest gas deals Uzbekistan has signed in recent years. The deal could fall flat if the two countries fail to agree on a price, or if Russia’s Gazprom - which owns the supply pipeline - raises objections.