Russia has demanded that Ukraine postpone the introduction of European technical and phyto-sanitary standards for ten years, but Ukraine disagrees with this, says Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk.

"Russia yesterday came up with the demand that the introduction of technical and phyto-sanitary standards be postponed for ten years," Yatseniuk said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

"Ukraine won't agree to this," he said.

Russia is trying to obstruct Ukrainian economic development, but the Ukrainian-EU agreement on a free trade area will take effect starting from 2016 in any case, he said.

"Russia's arguments don't hold water. We have offered full cooperation so that Russia should understand that the agreement will come into effect under any circumstances on January 1. Second, if Russia has any questions to which it cannot find answers […] we can translate this agreement once again, interpret it once again, and then hold another meeting regarding this agreement's introduction and implementation," he said.