KIEV, May 16 – Ukraine will cut the volume of natural gas purchase from Russia in the second half of this year, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

"In the next six months, in the second half of the year we are going to buy much less gas than in the first half, because its price will grow. We have made major purchases in the first quarter and we will scarcely buy any gas in the second quarter," he said in an interview with Channel 5.