Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Russia's aim was to prevent implementation of FTA between Ukraine and EU. But it takes effect in full on January 1

"Russia’s objective was to prevent Ukraine from joining the common economic space of the European Union on January 1, 2016. It has nothing in common with the economy. It is just geopolitics," emphasised Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk during a press conference on Tuesday, December 29.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that the current year saw 16 rounds of trilateral consultations at the level of the European Union - Ukraine - Russian Federation as to technical modalities of implementation of the agreement on a free trade area between Ukraine and the EU: "Both Ukraine and the European Union will carry out the agreement on a free trade area, how we will implement this agreement, and whether there are any risks for the Russian Federation."

He pointed out that these 16 rounds of consultation "showed quite clear that there are no economic prerequisites for Russia even to raise the issue of any risks for the Russian economy."

"I would like once again to state that from 1 January the FTA fully takes effect and Ukraine becomes part of the world's largest market. This is additional opportunities for Ukrainian and for the European economy," highlighted the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also stressed that the Government together with MPs and European partners "was actively working to make the European Commission give a positive report on granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine."

"All the hard work and political debate that lasted quite a long time within the walls of Ukrainian Parliament and Government, ended successfully. The European Commission has acknowledged that Ukraine meets all the criteria for a visa-free regime," he stressed.

"Now we need, on the one hand, the implementation of adopted legislation, on the other - the adoption of a legal decision by the European Union on granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.