Ukrainian opposition politician calls for restoring economic ties with Russia, CIS – world

KIEV, October 24. / TASS /. Ukraine’s main task is to restore trade and economic relations with Russia and the CIS countries, Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Opposition Platform for Life party, said on Sunday in an interview published on the party website.

“Restoring trade and economic relations with Russia and the CIS is a priority task for the country’s economy. The implementation of this priority task means economic growth and, therefore, improvement of the standard of living in Ukraine, “he said.

According to Medvedchuk, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, in personal meetings with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, should address economic issues and raise questions of peace in Donbass, because “it cannot be done without Russia”.

“We have to sit down at the negotiating table, we have to talk to each other and try to come to an agreement. This is the only option. And I think there is no alternative. We have no other sources to ensure a normal life of the country and its people, bearing in mind that we can achieve this, including energy supply from alternative sources, “he stressed.

He noted that relations between Ukraine and Russia are at an impasse, with many negative consequences, first of all for Ukraine and Ukrainians.

Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian ICTV on October 18 that he was ready for a meeting with the Russian president in any format. Meanwhile, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on October 18 that no prospect of high-level contacts between Moscow and Kiev had been considered, as there had been no change in the modalities and the status of previous agreements. Moreover, on its own terms, Kiev has embarked on a path of withdrawal from the Minsk accords.