Kyiv will cut Russian gas imports if price does not come down, says Yanukovych

Ukraine will continue to reduce the amount of Russian gas it buys if the price remains high, President Viktor Yanukovych said.

"We have had three years of a big problem on which we are working, and we can't yet give an answer to the question of why the [gas] price for Ukraine is the highest," Yanukovych said during a joint press conference with Latvian President Andris Berzins. Yanukovych said that if the price continues to be high, the Ukraine will be buying less Russian gas and looking for alternative sources. The Ukrainian economy cannot withstand such a high gas price, he said. The main goal is setting a realistic and fair market price for gas, he said. Yanukovych also said that when preference is being talked about in light of this question, that also has meaning. "As concerns any kind of preferences in price, we definitely have never been against that, but the price of whatever kind of preference has great meaning for us," he said. As soon as a resolution is found, it will be announced publicly, the president said.