Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said that Ukraine and Russia maintain equal relations, but Kyiv always pursues its national interests.
In an interview with the Greek newspaper Ethnos tis Kyriakis published on Oct. 9, Yanukovych said that the gas issue has somewhat disturbed the Ukrainian-Russian relations, and the two states still needed to find a way out of this situation.
"You cannot blame anybody in this matter, or hang labels on somebody saying who is better or who is worse. We [Ukraine and Russia] have an equal relationship, and we must maintain this parity. We are doing this, on both sides," the president’s press service quoted him as saying on Monday.
At the same time, he said: "When it comes to national interests, of course, we will always defend our national interests."
The president also said his views and forecasts haven’t changed, and that they include "… building strategic relations with Russia, resuming good-neighborly relations with Russia. I have not changed my point of view. We are settling the issue of our trade and economic relations. Our trade with Russia this year will be more than $ 50 billion."
