An employee walks past a gas installation during a training exercise for handling emergencies at a gas-pumping station in the town of Boyarka in Ukraine's Kiev region on April 22, 2015. (Xinhua/AFP)
KIEV, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is willing to deepen energy cooperation with the United States, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said here on Monday, according to the government press service.
"We see a wide range of opportunities for cooperation, including gas extraction ... cooperation in nuclear energy and other areas," Groysman said during his meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry.
For his part, Perry voiced U.S. readiness to discuss cooperation in gas production, saying that Ukrainian subsoil assets and American technology can make a "serious economic breakthrough" for both countries.
Perry also noted the progress Ukraine has made recently in reforming its energy sector.
"Initiatives of your government regarding the liberalization of the gas market and improvement of licensing procedures for extraction send an important message to the U.S. government and investors that Ukraine is serious about reforms," Perry said.
Perry arrived in Ukraine on Saturday to discuss topics including energy security and coal exports with local authorities.
In the first eight months of 2018, bilateral trade between Ukraine and the United States increased 16 percent year-on-year to 2.6 billion U.S. dollars.
The International Monetary Fund in May urged Ukraine to implement key reforms to ensure sustainable economic growth, including revamping the financial sector, overhauling the management of public finances and tax administration, as well pensions and energy sector reforms.