Lavrov says no final Russian–Ukraine agreements on gas, cheese

MOSCOW, Feb 14 (PRIME) -- Russia and Ukraine have yet to reach final agreements on gas supplies to Ukraine and cheese imports to Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday at a news conference after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Konstantin Grishchenko, RIA Novosti reported.

“We have yet to agree on such themes as gas and cheese,” Lavrov said. Grishchenko called on the participants of the news conference not to create artificial problems.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lavrov said he hoped Russia would sign a gas agreement with Ukraine in the near future.

The Ukrainian authorities have been seeking to revise a 2009 gas contract on Russian gas supplies. Ukraine wants to cut either the price or the volume of supplies, but Russian gas exports monopoly Gazprom has not accepted any proposals.

In addition, earlier in February, Russian sanitary oversight watchdog ordered an immediate halt to sales of cheese produced at three Ukrainian factories because of excessive levels of vegetable fat, which violated Russian sanitary standards.

The Ukrainian government said later that it considers the ban as a misconception and hopes to settle the dispute in an amicable way.

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