Prime ministers of Ukraine and Russia said on Friday that the two countries have agreed to compromise on natural gas prices.

According to the reports of RIA Novosti, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov visited Moscow to discuss the long-term agreement his predecessor, Yulia Tymoshenko, signed with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Earlier this year Russian officials said Ukraine would have to pay market prices for gas, set at $305 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for the first quarter, going up to $325 in the second quarter.

Followed by a meeting with Putin Azarov met Thursday with Alexei Miller, CEO of Gazprom.

Azarov said on Friday at a news conference, "An important result of the meeting is that Russia has agreed to start talks on this subject. It would be very naive to think that one meeting has resolved a whole host of issues after five years of such an absurd policy towards Russia."

The two "had found a compromise," Putin said. Azarov reportedly agreed to give Russia a share in state-owned gas pipelines, which carry about 80 percent of the gas Russia exports to Europe.
(With Inputs from Agencies)