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Ukraine’s Poroshenko asks EU to postpone signing of association agreement

According to the sources, Poroshenko is afraid that after Ukraine signs the association agreement with the EU, Russia might impose restrictions on imports of Ukrainian goods

BRUSSELS, May 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s President-elect Petro Poroshenko has asked President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy to postpone the signing of the economic section of the agreement on Ukraine’s association with the European Union for an indefinite period because of the unstable situation in the country, sources in the Kiev government said on Thursday.

According to the sources, Poroshenko is afraid that after Ukraine signs the association agreement with the European Union, Russia might impose restrictions on imports of Ukrainian goods, which will have a negative impact on the socio-economic situation in Ukraine.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andrii Deshchytsia told a news conference that his ministry planned to hold consultations with the European Union on possible signing of the remaining part of the association agreement before June 27. Initially, it was planned to sign the second part of the association agreement on June 27. “But Petro Poroshenko said he wanted this document to be signed earlier than that,” Deshchytsia said, adding that the consultations would focus on “how early this document could be signed.”

Earlier, Poroshenko came out with an initiative to sign the association agreement as soon as he was sworn into office.

On March 21, Ukraine and the European Union signed the political section of the agreement on Ukraine’s association with the EU. The document was signed by Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatshenyuk, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and leaders of 28 the European Union nations.