Ukraine is expected to again press for a significant reduction in the price it pays for gas imports from Russia in a fresh round of talks scheduled to take place in Moscow.
The meeting on January 17 is due to bring together Ukrainian Energy And Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko and Aleksei Miller, chief of Russian state-run gas giant Gazprom.
Reports say Ukraine hopes to see the price reduced to as low as $250 per 1,000 cubic meters, from $416.
Ukraine calls the current price, under a 10-year contract, exorbitant and a problem for the struggling Ukrainian economy.
Russia has suggested a discount is possible in exchange for a stake in Ukraine's gas pipeline network, which transports much Russian gas to Western markets.
However, Kyiv has so far ruled out any such sale.
Previous disputes between the two neighbors briefly disrupted Russian gas shipments to Western Europe in 2006 and 2009.
compiled from agency reports