Ukraine has signed a free-trade agreement with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and completed its free-trade talks with the European Union. Unlike membership of the Customs Union (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan), which Moscow keeps inviting Kyiv to join, the CIS free-trade accord does not formally hinder Ukraine's official EU integration strategy. At the same time, Russia could use the accord as a means to draw Ukraine closer to its sphere of influence.
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