"If we are truly interested in the existence of the union, a decision on free trade should be taken", Kuchma said. And added that without such a decision it is "yet another political and futile move".
Kuchma also stressed that Ukraine's participation in the CEE is not contrary to the course of the Ukrainian state towards integration into the European Union.
"The integration of Ukraine into the European Union and the CEE is aimed at improving the well-being of Ukrainian citizens", he said.
"We don't want a pie in the skies, but the European Union promises nothing to Ukraine", Kuchma added.
He noted that the Ukraine-EU relations "are like a corrida, where the EU is the toreador and Ukraine a young bull, standing still and getting arrow hits all over".
During the press conference, the Ukrainian president also said that a 100-percent Ukrainian-language television and radio broadcasting is contrary to the Ukrainian constitution.
"I have the juridical conclusion that the decision of the National Council on television and radio broadcasting in Ukrainian contradicts the fundamental law", Kuchma said. (Last week the National Council decided /as a recommendation/ to allow television and radio broadcasting in Ukraine in only the Ukrainian language.) In the opinion of the Ukrainian head of state, this decision of the National Council "is not promoting spread of the Ukrainian language".
"We don't want revolutions", Kuchma said, recalling that much of the population of particularly eastern Ukraine and the Crimea are Russian speakers.
"We want dialogue with everybody for them to feel themselves the Ukrainian people and unwilling to flee", Kuchma said.
He also expressed the hope that Russia would cancel the value-added-tax on oil and gas brought to Ukraine.
Kuchma said that he had such a talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has instructed the Prime Minister to consider the question.
