Updated 1:29 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) – Russia remains committed to three-party agreements concerning Ukraine’s association with the European Union, but is ready to take measures if any party violates them, a spokesman for the Russian president said Monday.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Sunday that Kiev’s EU Association Agreement will come into force in full in November despite an agreement between Moscow, Brussels and Kiev to postpone full implementation until January 2016.
“Russia is guided by the agreements reached at the three-party talks, but at the same time is ready to defend its position. Russia remains committed to these agreements, but is ready to respond if [a party to the deal acts] in breach of previously reached agreements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement is a treaty that presupposes political and economic association between the parties. It will take effect in its entirety on November 1.
On September 16, Ukraine and the European Union reached a compromise on Kiev's free trade pact with the 28-member bloc, postponing its entry into force until the end of 2015. The deal was reached during a trilateral meeting in Brussels, which was held after Moscow expressed concerns that the implementation of the treaty carries economic risks for Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow warned Ukraine that signing a free trade agreement with the European Union could trigger an uncontrolled flow of duty-free goods from Europe into the country, which would force Russia to take measures to protect its market.
