21:04 23.09.2013

If Ukraine concludes agreement with EU, Kyiv to have no more privileges, says Medvedev

2 min read

If the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is concluded, the special partnership regime between Ukraine and Russia will end, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

"Let them sell their products to Europe, let them try," Medvedev said.

It will be impossible to keep a foot in both worlds, as the Ukrainian authorities want, Medvedev said.

If the Association Agreement is signed, the Ukrainian authorities "should not lie to people," the prime minister said.

"It is not necessary to get offended over the consequences and there will be [consequences]. The Association Agreement should come into effect prior to ratification. Good and high-quality goods from Europe will come to the Ukrainian market and then will be aimed towards Russia. And we will use all the opportunities, which we have and which we should use in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the European and Ukrainian goods," Medvedev said.

The aspiration for association membership in the European Union is a sovereign decision of Ukraine, Medvedev said. And the Ukrainian authorities say that they will aim to enhance relations with the Customs Union but only where it does not contradict the Association Agreement, he said.

"Finally, they have said this openly but this means that Ukraine does not have a chance to develop relations with the Customs Union," the prime minister said.

This is a serious choice of the Ukrainian authorities and "they must say absolutely honestly and seriously that they will be in Europe, for example, at the level of Greece and Cyprus but they will not be in the Customs Union," Medvedev said. "It is not necessary to lie to people, it will be impossible to have a foot in both worlds," he said.

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