Russia will increase the pressure on Ukraine in all directions in order to hamper signing of the EU Association.

President of the analytical center Open Policy Ihor Zhdanov expressed this opinion at a press conference in Kyiv, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Actually, this is not a trade war, but this is a pressure on Ukraine on the part of Russia with the aim of hampering it from the EU accession. Today this pressure is in the form of the trade war, and tomorrow it may occur in other forms. I think that this pressure will grow, it will be systematic and will be held from all directions: economic, political and informational,” Zhdanov has said.

In the expert's opinion, during a recent working meeting of heads of the governments of Ukraine and Russia August 26, in Moscow, Dmitry Medvedev put a clear question to Azarov: “Either Ukraine joins the Customs Union, and then Russia removes all that pressure or Ukraine remains with its choice, but then there will other forms of the pressure.”

“They let us clearly see. Any compromises, at least until the end of November, are impossible between Ukraine and Russia due to the fact that we have absolutely opposite goals. As soon as we refuse to sign the Agreement (Association Agreement with the EU - Ed.), I think that everything will quickly straighten out on the Russian customs,” he stressed.

At the same time, Zhdanov is convinced that Ukraine will sign the Association Agreement with the EU this November. “I think that Ukraine will stand this pressure and we will come to signing of the Association Agreement with the EU,” Zhdanov believes.


 

Ukrinform