The Russian statement says Yushchenko tentatively agreed that Russia should liberalize the price of its natural-gas supplies to Ukraine.
Russia is contemplating charging most CIS countries near-European prices for its deliveries as of next year.
Moscow wants to hike the price it is charging Kyiv to $160 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas from the current $50. In return, it says it is ready to pay the full market transit price for the gas it ships to western Europe through Ukraine.
Kyiv has been resisting the change.