Ukraine now in better conditions than before Vilnius summit – Kozhara

10:14 25.12.2013
Ukraine

Ukraine is currently in more favorable conditions than it was before the summit in Vilnius and before its refusal to sign an Association Agreement with the EU.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said this at a press conference at Ukrinform on Tuesday.

"I again emphasize that Ukraine is now in much more favorable conditions than before the Vilnius summit... I don't understand why it's a failure. There would be a failure if Ukraine signed [the Association Agreement] in Vilnius," he said.

The foreign minister said that the refusal to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union had allowed Ukraine to conduct a dialogue with Russia.

"We received the positive results of these negotiations only a few weeks after [the summit in] Vilnius," he said.

In addition, the minister said, the negotiations on association with the EU are continuing. "Ukraine, in accordance with the joint declaration of the Vilnius summit, is holding negations to ensure the implementation of this agreement," he said.

Kozhara also said that economic conditions at the time of the Vilnius summit had not allowed Ukraine to sign the agreement with the EU. He said that one of the main reasons for Ukraine's refusal to sign the document was the position of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was ready to allocate money to Ukraine on the terms that are unacceptable to the country.

"I firmly believe that in terms of the external interests of the state we are currently in a better position than before [the summit] Vilnius. It's clear that there is the question of the internal political situation, but that's another question," he added.

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