Moscow - Kyiv disagrees that Ukraine should make a choice between Russia and the European Union, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said.
“In my view, the opinion that Ukraine, like a fairy tale hero, is at the crossroads is absolutely wrong, although, unfortunately, it is quite common,” Kozhara said in an interview to be published in the Wednesday issue of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
“What is the essence of making a choice? This action implies contraposition of alternatives,” Kozhara said. However, “Russia and the European Union are not such,” he said.
“The fact that they are geographically on the opposite sides of Ukraine does not make them such, either. On the contrary, it is precisely their differences and diversity which makes them appealing to Ukraine,” he said.
Russia is Ukraine’s closest neighbor and most important strategic partner, Kozhara said. “Comprehensive development of mutually beneficial relations with it is a foreign political priority for Ukraine,” he said.
“In this case, it makes sense to talk not so much about a choice as about looking for things complementing each other,” Kozhara said. “In attaining its European integration aspirations and developing close partnership with Russia, Ukraine brings these two parties closer together,” he said.
