KIEV, April 4 - Ukraine within months is expected to sign contracts with ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Halliburton aimed at tapping natural gas and shale gas deposits in the country, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko said.

“We will sign the contracts with the U.S. companies that have revived the gas industry in Texas,” Boyko said in an interview with Inter television over the weekend. “They will be tasked with reviving gas deposits in western Ukraine.”