KIEV, Sept. 3 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has increased the forecast for the purchase by Ukraine of Russian gas in 2010 to 27-33 billion cubic meters.

"We've agreed that because of the crisis, Ukraine will consume less gas both in 2009 and 2010. Ukraine consumed 33 billion cubic meters in 2009, and next year this will also be 27-33 billion cubic meters, depending on the situation," she said while opening a government meeting on Thursday.

The ten-year contracts signed by Ukraine and Russia in January 2009 contain prepayment conditions, which foresee that Ukraine's state gas firm Naftogaz should buy at least 80% of the gas contracted for a year, or at least 32 billion cubic meters of gas this year, and at least 41.6 billion cubic meters next year.