Ukraine's new governing coalition has formally nominated Yulia Tymoshenko as the country's next prime minister.
The move Friday paves the way for the fiery politician to return to power less than a year after President Viktor Yushchenko removed her from the post, following infighting in her cabinet.
A spokesman said the president will present the Tymoshenko nomination to parliament Monday.
Thursday, Tymoshenko reignited an argument with Russia over natural gas prices, calling for deep revisions to a deal that nearly doubled the price of Russian gas to Ukraine consumers.
In response, Russia's Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said Ukraine signed a five-year contract with Russia's state-run gas monopoly Gazprom, and said the Kiev government is obligated to honor it.
Gazprom temporarily cut its gas flow to Ukraine in January, in a dispute over the price hike. The action sharply reduced gas supplies to Europe through Ukrainian pipelines.
Thursday, a Gazprom statement warned that Tymoshenko's actions could spark a new gas crisis. It also called Ukraine the "weak link" in the system of gas supplies to Europe.