KYIV, Oct 22 - The Ukrainian government should expand the program of subsidies for the population due to an increase in natural gas tariffs, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"As president, I have set a very tough demand to the government. We must protect people, expand the subsidy program, increase funds for the implementation of this program so that the least protected segments of the population and anyone to whom this increase is critical are not affected," the press service of the head of state quoted Poroshenko as saying at a meeting on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the creation of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine in Kyiv on Monday.