After his arrival in Kiev the Russian president will go to meet with Leonid Kuchma in the Blue Hall of the Mariinsky Palace.
After the meeting, already in the Green Hall of the palace, Vladimir Putin will present Russia's state awards to citizens of Ukraine for the greatest contribution to the development of relations between the two countries.
Then bilateral documents will be signed in the presence of the two countries' presidents.
A protocol between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Russia on supplies of goods within production cooperation for 2004 and an agreement between Ukraine's Ministry of Economics and on Questions of European Integration and Russia's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade on regulating supplies of Ukrainian galvanized rolled stock are, in particular, being prepared for signing.
On Friday evening Vladimir Putin and Leonid Kuchma will participate in the closing ceremony of Year of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and in the celebration of the 350th anniversary of Pereyaslavskaya Rada.
On Saturday, January 24, the president of Russia will visit the Assumption Church of Kiev-Pechera Lavra. His meeting with the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Church (the Moscow Patriarchy) will also take place there. A dinner of Vladimir Putin and Leonid Kuchma will be held after the meeting.
