The two leaders will discuss the issues of economic cooperation and energy, in particular, the creation of a gas transportation consortium (participants are Russia, Ukraine and Germany).

Russia is for increasing the export of natural gas to the West. Moscow plans that the gas pipeline will connect Kazakhstan with Ukraine. However, according to Sergey Prikhodko, deputy chief of staff to President Putin, “the birth of the gas transportation consortium is not easy”. At the same time, he said there was no need to over-dramatize the situation because this was a very important and complicated issue. “All decisions on the consortium have been made, and it is necessary to implement them now,” Mr. Prikhodko said. Kremlin officials said President Putin was to agree some provisions of the contract with Mr. Kuchma.

The two leaders will also attend the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in Ukraine, and they will take part in the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Ukrainian Parliament.

Mr. Putin is accompanied by a group of businessmen, including Vagit Alekperov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LUKoil, Semyon Vainshtok, President of the Transneft oil company, Oleg Deripaska, head of Basic Element, as well as Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, Deputy Chairperson of the State Duma Lyubov Sliska and Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoi.