You're reading: Klimkin reckons Russia’s stance on EU-Ukraine free trade deal purely political

Russia's threats to impose an embargo on Ukrainian goods if no amendments are made to an annex to the Ukrainian-EU free trade agreement are based on far-fetched apprehensions and have no economic grounds, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said.

“Russia’s objections are purely theoretical. We have closely analyzed and calculated the situation together with the EU: at the present time, we have found absolutely no grounds for objections,” Klimkin said in a presentation at a session of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s Council of Exporters and Investors on Sept. 4.

Nevertheless, Ukraine is continuing trilateral consultations with the EU and Russia and trying to persuade Russia that its concerns are unfounded, Klimkin said. “The next round at the political level will take place exactly on Monday, and a Ukrainian delegation will also take part in it,” he said.

“At the present time, Russia’s position is purely political and is aimed at preventing us from implementing the agreement itself. Therefore, Russia is taking a number of measures, one of them the threat of a food embargo. No formal decision has yet been made on the matter,” Klimkin said.

Ukraine is consistently working with other CIS countries, Klimkin said. “We have received assurances from Kazakhstan that it will not” obstruct the enforcement of Ukraine’s agreement with the EU, he said.

Russian Economic Development and Trade Minister Alexei Ulyukayev had reportedly said earlier that Russia’s food embargo against Ukraine would take effect on Jan. 1, 2016 if Moscow failed to reach agreement with its partners on an annex to the Ukrainian-EU free trade agreement eliminating risks for Russia.