Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is...
The talks, which also involve Gazprom head Alexei Miller and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, are taking place at the Vnukovo 2 airport, from where Putin will fly to Smolensk, the scene of a plane crash that claimed the lives of 97 people, including the Polish president, earlier on Saturday.
The meeting is likely to see a discussion of natural gas and steel pipe issues facing the two countries.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was inaugurated in February, is seeking to revise the long-term gas deal signed by then prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Putin in early 2009, which increased the price Ukraine paid for Russian gas, further straining the country"s troubled finances.
In return for cheaper gas, Ukraine could offer Russia a stake in its gas transportation system, which currently carries about 80% of Russian natural gas exports to Europe, and a discount for Russian gas transit to European consumers.