Ukraine will never compromise on its sovereignty even as the country continues to pursue a policy of integration into the EU, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych declared on Friday during a ceremony to mark the nation's Independence Day.
Yanukovych also reiterated his country's oft-stated commitment to move closer to Europe. Recent opinion polls indicated that the majority of Ukrainians support the idea of EU integration, as do all major political forces.
"But we will never accept integration at any price, which can result in the loss of independence, economic or territorial concessions or lead to interference in [our] internal affairs," Yanukovych said. He also urged Ukrainians to acknowledge the need for closer ties with former the Soviet states, especially Ukraine's eastern neighbor, Russia.
"We need to develop closer co-operation with our partners in the CIS, since that is where the largest market for Ukrainian products is. We should not ignore the integration processes taking place there," Yanukovych said.
Ukraine has ratified the agreement on a free trade area (FTA) with CIS member-states. But Kiev has nonetheless been working on a parallel free trade agreement with the EU.
Russia has repeatedly invited Ukraine to join a Moscow-led Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia but the Ukrainian government has so far refused to join, suggesting instead a nebulous 3+1 membership formula of relations between the ex-Soviet nations.
