Putin told Sergei Bogdanchikov, the president of state-run oil major Rosneft who voiced the need for such a decision, that he would definitely discuss the issue with the prime minister.
Bogdanchikov said it was necessary to equalize oil shipment tariffs all across Russia, noting that transport tariffs in the west and the south were $20 and in the east, $40.
"It is essential to solve the tariff issue this year," Bogdanchikov said.
According to Bogdanchikov, now that oil shipments to the Far East have tripled, the tariff has increased 7.5 times in three years.
Bogdanchikov said the disparity between the prices for Brent and Urals oil that had increased from $0.59 to $4.27 in the past three years also had to be addressed. He said Russian oil companies should install equipment for refining oil from sulfur and set up an oil quality bank.
Putin visited the Tuapse oil refinery on Tuesday.
Today the Rosneft-Tuapsenefteprodukt company is the main base in southern Russia exporting light oil shipments.
