KIEV, Aug. 16 - Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Tuesday rejected a proposal from Gazprom that Ukraine surrender its natural gas pipelines, much like Belarus, in exchange for lower gas prices from Russia.

“Ukraine goes along its own path, while Belarus – along its own,” Azarov said at a press conference reacting to the Gazprom proposal on Monday.

The comment shows that Ukraine and Russia are still at odds – despite 18 months of talks - over lowering gas prices and long-term cooperation in the gas sector.