Ukraine to seek better gas deal

Ukraine will appeal to the International Court if Russia does not offer a better deal on natural gas deliveries, and is not planning to merge its oil and gas firm Naftogaz with Russia's Gazprom, Reuters quoted Ukraine's President as saying on Saturday. "We have faced a situation when Ukraine is loosing big money (on Russian gas)... If Russia does not agree with it (to offer better conditions on gas deliveries), certainly, we will have to go to the International Court," President Vladimir Yanukovich told reporters. "I hope we will have enough wisdom to find a common solution, without the court. I consider the court to be the last resort," Yanukovcih said, speaking at sidelines of CIS summit in the Tajik capital. A spokeswoman for the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the gas deal between Moscow and Kiev has to be realised and can not be revised in a "sole direction." "Russia is ready to defend its stance on the agreement in any court authority and will act strictly in accordance with this document," Ria news agency quoted Natalia Timakova as saying. On Friday, a spokesman for Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that any review of Russia's gas contract with Ukraine could only be with the merger between state Naftogaz and Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom