If the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union is not signed at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius this November, no side will benefit from this, MEP Pawel Zalewski has said.

"Nobody will win. Even Russia won't win if the Association Agreement [between Ukraine and the EU] is not signed. If the agreement is signed, Ukraine will receive European standards, and this, in turn, is an example for Russia. Russians will see that if Ukrainians can get such standards, then it's realistic for them as well," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

The MEP said that Ukraine had conducted good work in recent months to get closer to European standards.

"It's a good step towards association with the EU. Someone criticizes late decisions by the Ukrainian parliament and the leadership, but as they say, better late than never," Zalewski said.

Former Estonian Finance Minister and MEP Ivari Padar also said he appreciated the work done by Ukraine.

"I have kept, am keeping and will keep my fingers crossed that Ukraine chooses the right democratic path, so that it can be tied with Europe. The steps made by Ukraine and its leadership are definitely positive. And they should be welcomed and supported," he told Interfax-Ukraine.

However, he said he was bewildered by the actions of the Russian side against Ukraine ahead of the signing of the Association Agreement.

"In a civilized world you have to be on good terms with neighbors. It's not quite clear for us why Russia is inappropriately aggressive in relation to Ukraine," Padar said.

Senior Policy Analyst at the Policy Analysis and Research Division of the Eastern Europe Studies Center (EESC) Vilius Ivanauskas (Vilnius) told the agency that "most experts agree that Ukraine is fulfilling the conditions set by the European Union, which, despite the political struggle in the country, is an achievement of the Ukrainian political elite."

He said that "the so-called question of Tymoshenko or the question of selective justice is the only remaining barrier that must be removed."

"I believe that there could be several scenarios of a positive solution to this issue. It's very hard to evaluate conflicting points of view in Ukraine, because it's obvious that all parties to this case have a political interest," Ivanauskas said.

"I think that the EU should think not only idealistically, but also geopolitically in this situation, which is quite clear to the eastern countries of the European Union. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian political elite should reach any compromise on this issue," the expert said.

He said that "it's hard to determine who will win if Ukraine fails to sign the agreement" with the European Union.

"At the same time, it's clear that Russia is already using various tools (political and economic) to exert pressure on Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Lithuania, which currently holds the EU presidency," Ivanauskas said.

"Since the summit in Vilnius is coming, the Ukrainian question clearly dominates at the meeting. It's a clear signal that the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU continues to be one of the key priorities at the Eastern Partnership summit in November. This is evidence that Ukraine is already on its way to Europe," the Lithuanian expert said.