Azarov says there is no EU policy with respect to Ukraine

Yalta – Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said that there is no clear EU policy with respect to Ukraine.

When asked at the 9th Yalta Annual Meeting on Saturday how the Ukrainian government correlates its activity with European policy, Azarov said: "Is there any European policy?"

He noted that unlike Europe, Russia was conducting a clearly defined policy with respect to Ukraine, which, in words, is built on the shared principles of equality, neighborhood and cooperation, but, in deeds, the Ukrainian economy has been stifled by high prices for natural gas for the last two-and-a-half years.

Azarov said that Ukraine had annual additional expenditures of $5 billion because of the gas contract signed by the previous government with Russia.

He said that some politicians, who had the courage to give many pieces of advice to Ukraine, do not really have a clear action plan, unlike the Ukrainian government.

"Of course, Ukraine is walking its own path, and someone doesn't like it," Azarov said.