KIEV, Feb. 4 – Ukraine, seeking lower natural gas prices, suggested Russian gas giant Gazprom join a project to modernize the country’s natural gas pipeline system, which moves the bulk of gas to Europe.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine will persist demanding lower gas prices despite almost three years of failed negotiations on the matter.

“We insist on reviewing the extremely unbeneficial for us agreement signed in 2009 for gas supplies,” Azarov said at a meeting with Ambassador Carlos Pascual, a U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs. “We continue to negotiate with our Russian partners. We offered them to participate in the modernization of our gas transportation system."