KIEV, Oct. 11 - The transit rate for Russian natural gas across Ukrainian territory in 2007 will remain unchanged at $1.60 per 1,000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers and unaffected by the rise in the price of Central Asian gas for Ukraine, Energy and Fuel Minister Yuriy Boyko said.

"We have signed an agreement under which the transit rate was set for five years at $1.60. If we wish to be a reliable partner, we must stick to the agreement that our country has signed," he told a Wednesday news conference in Kiev.