Viktor Yushchenko, who has been promoting his country's integration into NATO and the European Union, was originally expected in Moscow March 21 but the visit was postponed following three tragic accidents in Russia and political turmoil in Ukraine. The leaders were to sign a cooperation plan for 2007-2008.
But some Russian media suggested last week the visit may have been postponed over Moscow's reluctance to back Yushchenko in his standoff with the more pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and his party dominating the Ukrainian parliament.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who was appointed foreign minister March 21 as a pro-presidential candidate after lengthy debates in parliament, will accompany Yushchenko to Moscow.
"I think my first visit as foreign minister to Russia will be a good start," said Yatsenyuk, also an advocate of Ukraine's Westward integration.
Energy, Russia's Black Sea Fleet base and U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Central Europe have been the most sensitive issues in relations between the two former Soviet neighbors.
Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been renting a base in Ukraine's Crimean autonomy at $93 million a year under agreements signed in the 1990s.
Following a gas price row early last year, Kiev threatened to raise the rent to $1.8 billion, and demanded that Russia surrender lighthouses and other fleet infrastructure along the Crimean coast, claiming they were not part of the fleet agreement. Russia said it was entitled to use the base and its facilities until 2017 under current agreements.
Ukraine's position has softened since the gas dispute was resolved, and Yatsenyuk said Friday Ukraine would stick to the agreements.
The gas conflict arose over Russian gas price hikes, which resulted in suspended gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine. Kiev is presently importing a mixture of Russian and cheaper Turkmen gas at a price of $130 per 1,000 cubic meters.
A mediator company, Rosukrenergo, 50% owned by Russia's Gazprom, has been the sole supplier of a mixture of Russian and Central Asian gas to Ukraine since January 2006. But some officials in Ukraine have proposed switching to direct supplies, an idea that has been prevailing since Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych came to power in August.
As for security issues, Russia has been seriously concerned about the United States' plans to deploy elements of its missile shield in Central Europe. Yanukovych has expressed his willingness to discuss the issue with Washington.
President Yushchenko, who came to power on the back of the "orange revolution" in 2004, has been proactive in seeking the country's membership in NATO, much to Moscow's discontent. But Yanukovych recently said Ukraine was not ready to join the alliance.
