Ukraine independently decides on issues regarding the further implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union, Poroshenko's press secretary Sviatoslav Tseholko said.
“Ukraine is a sovereign state, and independently decides as to the ratification and implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU,” he told Interfax-Ukraine when commenting on mass media reports about Russian leaders’ concerns over the fact that this agreement is coming into effect.
Ukraine’s parliament on September 16 ratified the agreement with 355 votes, and the very next day the Cabinet of Ministers approved a plan to implement the document, Tseholko said.
Mass media earlier reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, notifying that Russia would limit Ukraine’s access to the Russian market in case of the implementation by Kyiv of the free trade provisions of the Association Agreement.
Media reports had it that the Russian leaders were ready to eliminate a free trade regime for Ukrainian exports even in case of amending laws as part of preparation for enacting the free trade accords with the EU.
In his letter, Putin insists on the need to adjust the economic provisions of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, which is opposed by Kyiv and Brussels.
