KIEV, Aug. 28 - Ukraine’s two leading political parties ahead of the Sept. 30 election called for increasing domestic production of coal in order to reduce dependence on energy imports from Russia.

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the Regions Party, Ukraine’s most popular group, said the country should increase coal extraction to 100 million metric tons annually within the next three years. Ukraine produced about 80 million tons of coal in 2006.