Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov has said he expects that Ukraine and the EU will sign an association agreement this year.

"We will do everything to sign the agreement this year. We are working with the European Union," he told reporters after a meeting of the conciliatory council in parliament on Monday.

When asked how ready the association agreement is, Arbuzov said: "The talks that are currently continuing with the authorized persons of the European Union will show this."

He also said he hoped for the same kind of cooperation with EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule as Ukraine had earlier.