MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) – A senior European Union official sought to allay fears Friday that Ukraine’s signing of free trade agreements with the EU will lead to a loss of economic independence.
The idea that Ukraine will be handing over its sovereignty to Brussels in agreements expected to be signed next month is nonsense, said Stefan Fule, the European Commissioner responsible for the union’s enlargement.
Fule added that Ukraine will receive significant material benefits from binding itself closer to the EU, and will retain the ability to defend its own economic interests.
The former Soviet state of Ukraine is one of several countries due to sign free trade agreements with the EU during a summit in Lithuania on November 28-29.
The EU’s eastward expansion has provoked anger in Russia. The Kremlin is pushing for Ukraine to join a Moscow-led Customs Union, and tensions have risen between the two countries in recent months.
There was chaos at the Russian-Ukrainian border in August when Russia introduced tightened customs procedures, a move President Vladimir Putin has said could become permanent. Russian presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev has openly warned Kiev that signing the agreements with the EU would be “suicidal.”
