KIEV, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine will increase the amount it pays Russia to store nuclear waste by 80% to $720 per kilo, the Ukrainian president said Thursday.

President Viktor Yushchenko said nuclear waste being stored in Russia would be returned to Ukraine starting in 2012.

"In such a situation no one thinks about storing other countries' nuclear waste," Yushchenko said. "I would like to hear a professional discussion about the construction of facilities for nuclear waste storage in Ukraine."

The country must learn how to store its own nuclear waste, he added.

Yushchenko said Ukraine has four nuclear power plants and 15 nuclear power units. None of the plants can deal with their own spent fuel.

In 2005, Ukraine paid Russia $400 per kilo of nuclear fuel stored.