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Russia seeks continuation of trade talks with Ukraine, EU: Putin

Xinhua, December 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Russia intends to continue trade talks with the European Union and Ukraine in spite of the failure of the latest trilateral ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"I believe that we will have to re-examine these issues many times. We want to get the relations with our partners in this sphere back on track, both with Ukraine and the European Union," Putin said in a televised comment.

The European Commission issued a statement Monday, stating that the latest round of trilateral talks in Brussels on the EU-Ukraine free trade area did not bring any result.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in the statement that she was deeply surprised by a decree signed by Putin that "suspended all Russia's obligations towards Ukraine."

"This measure goes against the mandate, the spirit and the objective of these talks. Russia's continued insistence on a legally binding agreement, which would amount to a reopening of the bilateral agreement between the EU and Ukraine, could not be accommodated, as has been made clear throughout these talks," Malmstroem said.

Putin, however, blamed the EU for its reluctance and noncooperation during the meeting, claiming the head of the EU delegation just rose and left saying "game is over."

"(The EU) issued a press release stating that the Russian delegation had ruined the talks. I believe it is not a very European behavior and not tolerant at all," he said.

On Wednesday, Putin signed a decree suspending Russia's free trade deal with Ukraine from Jan. 1, 2016, which deprived it of the most favored nation treatment, as well as of a host of preferential policies in areas of migration, customs, quarantine inspection, and investment.

Chairman of Russian's lower parliament house, State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin, on Tuesday announced that the bill to suspend Russia's free trade deal with Ukraine was approved unanimously in order to protect Russia's national economic interests.

On Monday, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order imposing a ban on Ukrainian foodstuffs imports from next year.

In 2014, Ukraine and the EU signed an agreement to create a free trade zone between the two sides. Out of concerns from Moscow, the bloc decided to postpone the implementation of the agreement until Jan. 1, 2016 and to hold trilateral talks to sort out the differences.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement Tuesday claiming that EU and Ukraine were reluctant to reach compromise with Moscow.

"Our partners were engaged in a simulated negotiation and obvious logical manipulation designed to gain time and to place Russia before an accomplished fact: the trade and economic section of the Association Agreement becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2016, regardless of the outcome of these so-called negotiations," said the Russian ministry in the statement, insisting that Russia is forced to take action under the circumstances in an effort to remove risks emerging to its economy and ensure the protection of Russia's legitimate interests. Endit