Caspian Report - Issue 06 - Winter 2014

SERGII TOLSTOV
106
Emergency
parliament
session in
Ukraine.
standpoint of economic relations
the removal of barriers in trade with
the CIS countries and the Customs
Union, and to intensify programs
of industrial cooperation and joint
production projects with Russian
companies. Given the challenges of
modernizing the economy and the
industrial base, this area is undoubtedly
strategic. As regards the declared
intention to resume negotiations
with the EU, the Ukrainian side
proposes to clarify the conditions of
implementation and the transitional
provisions of the Association Agreement.
This may be regarded primarily
as an attempt to avoid a crisis in
relations with Brussels and convince
the European Commission of the
need to continue the dialogue.
6. The important prerequisite for
re-evaluating the existing obstacles
in bilateral cooperation between
Ukraine and Russia was the adjustment
of gas deliveries terms. In addition,
at the preparation stage for the
Sixth meeting of the Russian-Ukrainian
Interstate Commission, Putin
did not insist on Ukraine joining the
Customs Union in the short term.
This position allows Ukraine to count
on maintaining a certain balance in
relations with the EU, if the European
Commission demonstrates
relative flexibility and at minimum
the inclination to take into account
the economic and political interests
of Ukraine as an important partner
rather than a country against which
a neo-colonial model of resource
absorption and external management
is applied. On the other hand,
the absence of the requirement for
Ukraine’s entry into the Customs
Union avoids the need for complete
renegotiation of Ukraine’s participation
in the WTO and enables it to focus
on sectoral projects in relations
with the countries of the Customs
Union.
7. The important thesis which is
traditionally considered in the foreign
policy of Ukraine is to avoid the
critical deterioration of relations