Russia, Ukraine, EU hold last-ditch talks on EU-Ukraine trade deal
By
our dpa-correspondent and Europe Online
Brussels (dpa) – Top officials from Russia, Ukraine and the European
Union were meeting Monday in a last-ditch attempt to overcome their
differences on a free trade agreement between Kyiv and the EU that is
due to come into force next week.
Its start date was delayed by a year and more than 20 rounds of
three-way talks were held in order to address Russian fears that the
free trade deal could adversely affect its own economy. But a
breakthrough has not yet been achieved.
Russia has taken trade measures against neighbouring Ukraine in
recent months, ordering a ban on its food exports and the end of an
existing free trade deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ukrainian and EU officials have nevertheless been steadfast in
insisting that the implementation of their free trade agreement will
not be postponed a second time.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said during a visit to Brussels
last week that his country is “ready to pay this price [of Russian
trade measures] for our freedom and for our European choice.”
The talks on Monday in Brussels were being conducted by Russian
Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Pavlo Klimkin and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom.
The free trade agreement is at the heart of the current crisis in
Ukraine.
A first attempt to finalize the deal had failed in 2013, triggering
protests in Kyiv that led to the ouster of Ukraine‘s pro-Russian
president, followed by Russia‘s annexation of Ukraine‘s Crimea region
and a pro-Russian separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.
Relations between the EU and Moscow have since fallen to their lowest
level since the Cold War.
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