Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said here on Wednesday the parliament's dismissal of his government was destabilizing the country, according to the Kazakhstan Today news agency.

Yushchenko also labeled the move as "illegal and unconstitutional," saying it was a wrong step to take at a time when the legislative election is approaching.

The parliament's decision "simply serves to destabilize the situation," Yushchenko told reporters in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, where he was on a visit to attend the inauguration ceremony of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The Ukrainian parliament sacked the government on Tuesday over a recently reached gas deal with Russia, accusing the government of betraying the whole nation by signing a deal with Russia on gas supplies, which nearly doubles the gas price for Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine struck a five-year deal on gas supply last week. Under the deal, Russia will sell gas for 230 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters to the Rosukrenergo trading company, which will mix Russian gas with cheaper gas from Central Asia and sell the blend to Ukraine for 95 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

Source: Xinhua