President vows more conformity with Customs Union

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said in a Dec. 14 video-recorded address to parliament that Ukraine will gradually adopt the rules of the Moscow-led Customs Union, which he stressed is an enormous market for Ukrainian goods. “We will do everything for Ukraine to have harmonious relations with the countries of the Customs Union not only economically, but also in the humanitarian, academic and social sphere,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: This is the latest in what will be a series of statements by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych supporting Customs Union conformity ahead of a planned Dec. 18 visit to Moscow to negotiate lower natural gas prices. Yanukovych’s statement is in line with his administration’s foreign policy, which can be described as maximum integration with the Russian Federation to the extent that it doesn’t jeopardize European Union integration. This especially entails not becoming a full member of the Customs Union. We can also expect more Cabinet resolutions approving joint business partnerships between Russian and Ukrainian industries, as well as social initiatives. All the efforts, however, are unlikely to be enough to satisfy Russian’s integration ambitions and receive some concession on gas prices.