Ukrainian Prime Minister Yury Yekhanurov said on Friday in Berlin that his country is considering increasing nuclear energy production in the aftermath of the gas dispute with Russia.

Ukraine and Russia struck a deal this week on a new gas price after Russia shut off the flow of gas to its neighbor for two days during a price row.

"We already produce half of our energy requirements with nuclear power," Yekhanurov told German newspaper Berliner Zeitung. "We will have to increase capacity in the newly built nuclear plants."

Ukraine would also develop alternative energy sources, including hydroelectricity, wind and solar power, Yekhanurov said.

"The first task is to diversify our energy sources," he said.

The country currently has four working nuclear power plants.

The Russia-Ukraine standoff began when Kiev rejected Moscow's demand for a fourfold price increase which would push the gas price from 50 U.S. dollars to 230 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

Under the agreement reached on Wednesday, Russia will sell gas to a trading company for 230 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters and Ukraine will buy gas from the company for 95 U.S. dollars.

The Russia-Ukraine gas dispute had also affected gas deliveries to some European countries which use Ukraine's pipeline, raising fears of long-term gas shortage in Europe.

Source: Xinhua