The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said that it is too early to speak about any agreements regarding a format for cooperation between Ukraine and the Customs Union, formed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
"Talks on a possible format for Ukraine's cooperation with the Customs Union continue, but it is still early to speak about any agreements," the ministry's acting spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said, commenting on news reports claiming that an agreement on Ukraine's associate membership in the union was allegedly achieved.
He did not confirm media claims that a certain Ukrainian delegation held talks in Moscow this week.
The ZN.UA online news service reported earlier, citing a source in the Ukrainian government, that tentative agreements on Ukraine's associate membership in the Customs Union had been achieved by Ukrainian and Russian working groups in Moscow.
"Since such a format of participation in the Customs Union has no precedents, its legal framework is yet to be created. It should be done within the next couple of months," the source said.
Presumably, this format would offer Ukraine access to all union documents and would allow it to attend all session of the union's bodies as an observer without the right to vote. This associate membership could continue for at least two years, "after which Kyiv would have to make a final decision whether or not it would become a full-fledged member of the Customs Union."
According to the website, a Ukrainian delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Boiko, Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, First Deputy Foreign Minister Ruslan Demchenko and head of the presidential administration's foreign policy department Andriy Honcharuk, allegedly reached the aforementioned agreements during a trip to Moscow earlier this week.
