The border regime between Ukraine and countries of the Customs Union may be strengthened after signing an agreement between Kyiv and the EU.
Political observer Raman Yakauleuski spoke to charter97.org about a meeting between the Belarusian dictator and the Ukrainian PM in Minsk.
"Both Minsk and Moscow welcome the European choice of Ukraine. But there's one condition. As Sergey Glazyev, an aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin says, Ukraine cannot count on full participation in the Customs Union if it agrees on the ratification of the agreement with the EU. But we see that unlike Putin, Lukashenka doesn't think Ukraine's intention to certificate the agreement is a problem. It looks strange," the political observer says.
Raman Yakauleski adds that the Belarusian ruler is right when he says that Ukraine has the sovereign right to choose its way.
"We see today that it's the reason for Moscow's pressure on Kyiv. If Lukashenka says so, I can only add that he makes these remarks and curtseys to Kyiv on Putin's birthday. It's a Freudian slip: Lukashenka says what other people think," the political observer says.
He thinks a very important question about relations with the EU countries, for example, Lithuania, wasn't raised.
"I mean the widely-discussed transit of Ukrainian electric power to Lithuania via Belarus. Several question follow from this issue. If it doesn't sound today, it doesn't mean we have no problems here. Of course, the transit brings profit to Belarus. But I'd like to remind that official Minsk, as far as I know, wants to establish its prices in Lithuania, the step that conflicts with the arrangements among Kyiv, Vilnius and Minsk. We don't know how this issue is being solved today, because we don't hear the question was raised," Yakauleuski said.
He stressed that it doesn't mean the problem was already solved.
"If the ratification takes place, establishing the border between Belarus and Ukraine and between the Customs Union and Ukraine may become the next step. Moreover, we can see a real possibility of imposing the visa regime between Belarus and Ukraine. I don't rule out this possibility," the political observer summed up.
We remind that the Belarusian ruler said at a meeting with Ukrainian PM Mykola Azarov that he saw no problems in signing the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and thought a formula of cooperation between Ukraine and the Customs Union would be found.
