The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Kiev is planning to involve the United States in modernizing its Soviet-era gas pipeline network, Russian media reported.

The Russian daily Izvestia reported that under a strategic partnership charter signed between Ukraine and the United States, Washington would help the ex-Soviet republic modernize its gas pipelines.

"The charter indeed has provisions on the involvement of the U.S. in modernizing the Ukrainian gas transportation system. The charter stipulates specific mechanisms of energy cooperation, primarily, the start of work of a bilateral working group on energy security and a closer dialog between Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU over enhanced energy security," the ministry reportedly said.

The paper adds that the European Union had long been concerned over the poor state of the Ukrainian gas pipes, but Kiev had resisted outside involvement in its gas network.

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