The European Union (EU) and Russia discussed the technicalities and expected impact of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (AA) and free trade deal, an EU statement said on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the discussions focused on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement (DCFTA), included in the AA, between the EU and Ukraine and the trade agreements of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The planned signature of the EU-Ukraine AA/DCFTA remain on track and will be signed on June 27.
The EU stated that the deals are compatible with Ukraine's participation in the CIS free trade agreements, stressing that a suspension of the preferential trade relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation would be unwarranted.
Russia underlined the importance of the Ukrainian market for Russian exporters of agricultural and manufactured products, and suggested establishing a mechanism to ensure transparency on the upcoming changes in the Ukrainian technical regulations.
The EU and Russia also discussed a number of economic aspects, ranging from competition rules and state aid to industrial cooperation, rules of origin and the prevention of fraud in trade exchanges.