Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Azarov, ladies and gentlemen, it's natural that our contacts have become more regular. We are moving forward on the most critical issues, which is very gratifying.

I am confident that your visit will be very productive. We'll have a chance to discuss all areas of mutual concern, and I hope our talks will have a positive outcome.

I'm happy to see you. Welcome to Moscow!

Mykola Azarov: Thank you, Mr Putin, I'm also happy to see you. And allow me to greet your colleagues too.

We have come here to finalise the details of the agreements to be signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kharkiv tomorrow.

The work carried out by our ministers of fuel and energy and our ministers of foreign affairs paved the way for us to reach a common position. However, there are some details to be coordinated before the presidents sign these important agreements tomorrow, which we have been working on together for a long time.

The objective of our visit is to iron out all the details in anticipation of the Russian president's visit to Kharkiv tomorrow.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Let's get down to business.