KIEV, May 4 – Ukraine has started to make payments for Russian natural gas supplies after holding up such payments since the beginning of the year following a dispute with Russian gas giant Gazprom.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said the debts were paid ahead of her meeting with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov in Kiev on Monday, April 28. Zubkov was originally expected to visit Ukraine on April 12, but the visit had been repeatedly postponed.