The main complication in the gas negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is the fact that Russia uncompromisingly defends its national interests even if they lead to losses for Ukraine, Ukrainian Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, who is participating in the negotiations, told journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday.
"The difficulty is that the Russian leadership very persistently defends its national interests, even in those cases when they cause losses for Ukraine’s national interests," he said.
Lavrynovych’s role in the negotiations is to ensure that Ukraine’s national interests are protected and restored in areas where its positions were not taken into account at the time the previous decisions were made, he said.
"I didn’t simply analyze documents – I worked to ensure that their meaning served Ukraine’s interests," Lavrynovych said.
