Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Azarov

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin holds talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov at an extended meeting during the eighth session of the Committee for Economic Cooperation

“We should not stop at increasing bilateral trade. Our strategic goal is to reach a qualitatively new level of business cooperation – I mean the development of industrial cooperation, partnership in high-tech industries, and the promotion of long-term mutual investment,” said Mr Putin.

Following Russian-Ukrainian talks in Moscow, Vladimir Putin and Mykola Azarov sign the Russian-Ukrainian Economic Cooperation Programme for the Period from 2011 until 2020 and the protocol of the eighth meeting of the Russian-Ukrainian Interstate Commission’s Economic Cooperation Committee

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov hold joint news conference following a meeting of the Russian-Ukrainian Economic Cooperation Committee

“Today we have made an important step toward expanding our bilateral partnership: we signed the ambitious Russian-Ukrainian Economic Cooperation Programme for 2011-2020. We intend to base it on the most promising areas of cooperation. The implementation of these plans will not only strengthen long-standing trade and economic ties but also create new science-intensive high-tech industries,” said the Russian prime minister.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attends the start-up ceremony for the Dzhubga-Lazarevskoye-Sochi pipeline

“We chose this route expressly to minimise, to cut its impact on the coastal ecosystem to zero. This enabled us to preserve old-growth forests and keep this natural environment, which is such a source of pride to us, and which the millions of people who live in Russia love, pristine and untouched.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets in Sochi with the first shift of the construction team made up of winners of the contest “Stroyotryad Avtoradio” as well as with performers participating in the contest

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Osipov

Mr Putin and Mr Osipov discussed issues related to the development of Akademgorodok and other major research centres. The prime minister called attention to the importance of these centres implementing their scientific inventions, particularly in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Mr Putin and Mr Osipov also touched on the RAS's international cooperation in the field of astronomy.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addresses the VI International Railway Business Forum “Strategic Partnership 1520” in Sochi

"What is being implemented here, in Sochi, could well be Russia's largest infrastructure project. We are building roads, bridges, tunnels, and of course, extending the railway.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin comments on the ban on importing vegetables to Russia from Europe

Vladimir Putin said that Russia will not jeopardize the health of its citizens. At the same time, the prime minister expressed a general interest in receiving these products from European countries, and added that he is waiting for relevant information from the European Commission.