You're reading: Kaletnik: Ukraine can’t join Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan because of WTO membership

Chairman of the Ukrainian State Customs Service Ihor Kaletnik has said that at present Ukraine can't join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as it is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the conditions of the Customs Union do not meet the principles of the WTO that Ukraine has to follow.

"At present Ukraine is a member of the WTO, that’s why [joining the Customs Union] is impossible until we equate the obligations undertaken by Ukraine after joining [WTO] to those rates and tariffs that our colleagues have," Kaletnik said at a press conference in the Livadia Palace in Yalta on Wednesday, where the 51st meeting of the heads of the customs services of the CIS countries was held.

Head of the Russian Customs Service Andrei Belianinov, in turn, noted that the customs union is a customs organization, and Ukraine was under no requirement to join it.

The Customs Union is absolutely voluntary organization, and there are and can be no constraints or diktats," he said.