The agreement was signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and his Ukrainian counterpart Anatoly Kinakh. In addition to the intergovernmental agreement, Russian Gazprom and Ukrainian Naftogaz signed a protocol on the establishment of an international consortium for the management of the Ukrainian gas transport network. Gazprom and Naftogaz were expected to explore opportunities for European gas companies to take part in the Russian-Ukrainian gas transportation consortium before the end of the year.
The two countries’ presidents attended the signing ceremony. Mr Putin said that the signing of the Russian-Ukrainian gas consortium documents did not completely settle the issue but, anyway, it was an important step in implementing the two presidents’ agreements in the gas sphere.