EU Commissioner to Snub Ukraine Delegation

EU Commissioner on Enlargement Stefan Fule. Photo by the European Council.

European Commissioner on Enlargement Stefan Fule said he would not be able to meet a Ukrainian delegation that is being prepared to visit Brussels Wednesday.

Tuesday Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych said he will be sending out the delegation, to be presided by Vice-PM Serhiy Arbuzov, in order to negotiate further details of the stalled Association Agreement with the EU.

However, a spokesperson for Fule has told RIA Novosti said that the commissioner's busy schedule would prevent him to meet Arbuzov Wednesday.

At the same time, the European Enlargement Commissioner expressed readiness for further talks and cooperation with Ukraine at a debate on the EU's Eastern Partnership at the European Parliament.

Fule said that the EC is ready to afford all assistance needed for Ukraine to implement required reforms, including by IMF-supported loans

At the same time, he suggested that there are some moves that the EU is not willing to take - for instance trilateral talks involving Russia that were proposed by Ukraine.

"We want to use our dialogue with Russia to explain that the agreement with Ukraine does not harm Russia's economic interests. However, this agreement is a bilateral issue between the EU and Ukraine," Fule told MEPs, as quoted by UNIAN.

The European Commission on Enlargement further said according to him what the Ukrainian government has described as economic concerns might be political in nature.

"The estimation we saw regaridng the alleged cost of Ukrainian modernization are politically motivated, just like trade restrictions imposed by Russia," said Fule.

Nevertheless, he reiterated that EU doors remain open to further integration with Ukraine.