Ukrainian PM hails economic agreements with Russia

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Wednesday hailed the economic cooperation agreements between his country and Russia reached Tuesday as a guarantee of his country's sustainable development. "With the agreements, we acquired a confidence that we can keep the country's social, economic and financial stability," Azarov told a cabinet meeting. Azarov described the agreements with Russia as a "turning point" for Ukraine's industrial and economic development, saying that such sectors as industry, energy, housing and utilities, infrastructure and high technology will get a strong impetus for further growth. The deals will also allow Kiev to introduce a balanced and coherent budget for 2014, Azarov said. When meeting his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to buy 15 billion U.S. dollars worth of Ukrainian government bonds and slash the price of natural gas for the economically struggling neighbor.