You're reading: Hryschenko: European Union incomplete without Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko has said that the European Union will be incomplete without Ukraine, and the prospect of membership upon the country's meeting all of the necessary criteria is laid down in the statute of the EU.

"It is impossible to complete a big European project without Ukraine, and everybody understands it. Ukraine is a large state, it is not Albania or Macedonia, and it is not Croatia… Everything that is small is easier to digest. But such a large piece as Ukraine is not to be digested – it will be added to the body of the European Union," he said in an interview on Ukrainian television’s Channel 5 on Saturday night.

"And of course, like Poland, it will be an influential and serious player to be reckoned with by all of the old main members of the EU," the minister added.

According to him, over 20 years of its independence Ukraine has proved that it is able to compromise, although it will always be tough in defending its interests.

"We are currently doing this while agreeing the conditions of a free trade area," Hryschenko said.