Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Friday that Kiev is still considering joining the customs union between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Interfax reported.  
 "We are tracking how it's working very closely, and we have practically all the information about what has a positive effect and what has a negative one. And we are not ruling out the possibility of joining the customs union," Azarov said at a press conference on Friday.  
 Russiahas been seeking to expand into Ukraine the borders of the common economic space that has seen free trade opened between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia beginning this year.  
 Azarov also said a solution will be found this year regarding gas prices, over which Russia and Ukraine have been deadlocked.  
 "In 2011 we made do, but in 2012 we have set ourselves the goal of solving this problem," he said, Interfax reported.