On Monday, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union failed to reach an agreement during their discussions on the effects of the Association Agreement, which comes into force on January 1. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem blamed Russia for the failure, accusing it of not showing enough flexibility in the last-ditch effort talks.
“The European Union’s statement yesterday seemed quite odd that Russia is responsible for the failed talks because there was a lack of flexibility. This is false and cynical at least since we have always shown flexibility and professionalism. We were trying to find a way out of the situation,” Shuvalov told journalists.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would keep on making efforts to combat trade disputes with Brussels and Kiev.
The prospected free trade deal is part of the Ukraine–EU Association Agreement ratified last year, which the Russian government sees as a source of certain risks for Moscow.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the suspension of a free trade deal with Ukraine within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), effective from January 1, 2016.
