MOSCOW, September 12./ITAR-TASS/. Russia to support companies that came under US sanctions, Russia’s Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulukayev said.

The association agreement between the European Union and Ukraine will come into force from 2016, Russian Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev said on Friday.

He said that the parties to today’s ministerial consultations had admitted that the problems over the implementation of Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union Russia had spoken about were real ones.

“The sides agreed that it would take time to clarify these issues, that is why the implementation of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union after its ratification would be postponed till the end of 2015, till December 31, 2015,” Ulyukayev said, adding that the sides would have 15 months to reach a compromise on that issue.