MOSCOW, July 23. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia will not hold consultations with Ukraine on the text of the Association Agreement with the European Union and will take unilateral action to protect its national economic interests, if Kiev continues to hold an unconstructive position and will ratify the treaty, Russian Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev told reporters on Wednesday.

“He (Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin) said the issues of ratification and the very agreement were not linked. They may not be linked, but if Ukraine takes such action we will believe that we are not bound with the commitment to continue talks any longer and can take unilateral action to protect our national economic interests,” Ulyukayev said.

The minister noted that he was ready to give this comment on the Ukrainian foreign minister’s recent statement that the content and text of the association deal were not a matter of talks with Russia.