KIEV, Feb. 2 ??“ Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the national oil and gas company, and RosUkrEnergo, a Swiss-based gas trader, created a 50-50 joint venture Thursday to distribute gas in Ukraine during the next five years, officials said.

The move ends almost one month of talks and comes after RosUkrEnergo has finally bowed to the pressure from Naftogaz and agreed to keep gas prices unchanged in the period.