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Moscow called Kiev’s decision to break bilateral economic ties 'victory over common sense'

The break-up of trade and economic relations with Russia in no way replaces those "miniscule quotas" Kiev receives from Brussels, the diplomat said

MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. Kiev's decision to end the program of economic cooperation with Russia is a victory over common sense, Artyom Kozhin, Deputy Head of the Information and Press Department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

"The other day the Ukrainian authorities declared another victory over common sense - it was reported that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to terminate the program of economic cooperation between Russia and Ukraine for 2011-2021. It is understood that the Kiev regime is consistently and persistently implementing its strategic goal - to do maximum damage to their own economy," the diplomat stressed.

"By rejecting any cooperation with Russia, the current Ukrainian authorities in their anti-Russian anger, are destroying with their own hands the legacy inherited from the Soviet Union in the advanced high-tech sectors, in particular in the nuclear sector, in rocket engineering, in space technologies, in the aviation industry, in transport, in the military-industrial sector," Kozhin said.

The break-up of trade and economic relations with Russia in no way replaces those "miniscule quotas" Kiev receives from Brussels to supply such "strategic" commodities as honey, mushrooms, juices, condensed milk, cereals, tomatoes and poultry to the EU, the diplomat added.

According to the diplomat one can observe "de-industrialization of Ukraine."

On March 21, Ukraine’s government terminated the economic cooperation program with Russia after a respective decision was taken at a meeting of cabinet ministers.

Moscow and Kiev approved the economic cooperation program until 2020, which envisions partnership in trade, transport, tourism, social and humanitarian areas, back in 2011.

Earlier Ukraine’s Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman said that as Kiev is retargeting the country’s economy and boosting exports to the European Union and other countries, the program should be terminated.