Ukraine has started talks with Brazil on joint development of hydrocarbons on the Black Sea shelf, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko said on Tuesday.
"Naftogaz Ukraina and Brazil's Petrobras are in talks to work out the core parameters of cooperation and determine regions of possible development on the shelf," Grishchenko told RIA Novosti.
Last week Grishchenko wrote in his Twitter page that Petrobras also wanted to cooperate with Ukraine in renewable energy and biofuel.
Ukraine, unhappy with its dependence on Russian gas, has been seeking alternative energy sources, including oil. Ukrainian experts estimate oil and gas reserves in the country's section of the Azov and Black Seas at 1.5 to 2.3 billion tons of conventional fuel.