The European Union will not compete with Russia over Ukraine, according to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Linas Linkevičius. Lithuania currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
“There won’t be any struggle for Ukraine,” he said in an interview
with UNIAN news agency, while commenting on the recent agreements
between Russia and Ukraine.
“This is neither boxing nor wrestling, nor is it an auction, where
the bidders are competing for the highest price. It’s necessary to
depart from that framework,” he added.
“The choice is with the country and its government, but we stress our desire for this choice to be free,” said Linkevičius.
On December 17, after the meeting of the joint Ukrainian-Russian
commission chaired by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian
President Volodymyr Putin, a series of agreements were announced,
including the lowering of natural gas prices for Ukraine to US $ 268.5
per thousand cubic meters and the purchase of $ 15 billion worth of
Ukrainian Eurobonds by Russia.
