Ukraine will double the fees it charges Russia for gas shipped through its territory to European customers from 2010, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said, in a move that could raise tensions.
"The transit price of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian territory will be doubled from January 1, 2010," Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in a statement released by the government.
The decision comes ahead of a key meeting on Thursday between Tymoshenko and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who has warned a gas payment dispute with Ukraine could disrupt supplies to Europe.
The fee is currently $1.7 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas per 100 kilometers. Ukrainian gas monopoly Naftogaz said in September that this would be raised to between $2.7 and $2.8 in 2010.
Ukraine is one of the countries hardest hit by the global economic crisis.
A gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine led to a cut-off of Russian gas supplies across much of Europe for two weeks in January this year.
Around a quarter of the European Union's gas supply comes from Russia.