Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been asked to complete gas negotiations with Russia, agree to gas import volumes, and set gas prices for 2009 by September 15. Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko made the statement during a press-conference on Thursday.

Yushchenko stressed that the method of of price formation should be clear and transparent: “The price must not be political. It must be economically sound,” he said.

Yushchenko said that the transit fee Russia pays to Ukraine should be directly linked to the gas price. He also said that the government delegation should agree with Russia upon Ukraine’s participation in Russia’s price negotiations with Central Asian gas producers. 

According to an earlier UNIAN report, Yulia Tymoshenko is set to meet Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on June 28 in Moscow.