Ukraine Open to Talks With EU If Russia Included – Premier

KIEV, December 27 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Friday that Kiev might yet sign a trade agreement with the European Union, but the deal would have to involve trilateral talks with Russia.

The decision of whether to go ahead with any negotiation is now up to the European Commission, Azarov said in a televised interview on Ukraine’s state-run First National channel, as Russia has already agreed to participate in potential talks.

Along with the trilateral negotiation format, Azarov said Ukraine would require a promise of compensation for potential economic damages caused by aligning with the EU, a sum he estimated at 10 billion euros ($14 billion).

The issue of Ukraine’s multi-billion-dollar national debt with no immediate financial gain was among the problems widely discussed as a reason for Kiev’s sudden abandonment of a long-expected trade and political deal with the EU in late November.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20131227/185994610/Ukraine-Open-to-Talks-With-EU-If-Russia-Included--Premier.html