Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara has said that both Ukraine and Russia will benefit from the Ukraine's European integration in future.

"We suppose that in future it'll be quite possible to create a continental free trade area, which would embrace Ukraine, Russia, the European Union, the countries of the Customs Union and the countries of the European Free Trade Association," he said while speaking to the students of the Don State Technical University along with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday.

According to Kozhara, "European standards are necessary to reform many spheres of public life, including the social and spiritual sectors."

"We in Kyiv think that Ukraine, as well as Russia, is an integral part of European civilization. Such an approach is very dear to us, and we think that closer relations between Ukraine and the EU, while preserving and simplifying our strategic partnership with Russia, are appropriate for these global tasks," he added.