• published: 09 Jan 2014
• views: 93

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the EU of "blackmailing" and "pressuring" Ukraine over its decision to suspend preparations for a trade pact with the bloc. He added that Ukraine's decision will be clear in the next few days - READ MORE http://on.rt.com/zq4nb7 RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rt Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark. Russia says EU efforts aimed at encouraging Ukraine to sign a free trade deal with Brussels amount... euronews, the most watched news channel in Europe Subscribe for your daily dose of international news, curated and explained:http://eurone.ws/10ZCK4a Euronews is available in 13 other languages: http://eurone.ws/17moBCU http://www.euronews.com/1970/01/01/ Russia says EU efforts aimed at encouraging Ukraine to sign a free trade deal with Brussels amount to "blackmail." But a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Moscow had also pressured Kiev into rejecting closer ties. She said: "It"s a disappointment but we continue to believe that the future for Ukraine is in a strong relationship with the European Union. When it comes to the pressure of Russia we have made it very clear that we strongly believe in the right of each country to freely define and choose what kind of relationships it wants to have." But Russian President Vladimir Putin accused EU officials of encouraging the Ukrainian opposition to protest against the government's decision. He said: "In essence we have heard threats from our European partners toward Ukraine up to and including promoting the holding of mass protests. This is pressure and this is blackmail." The Kremlin's envoy to the EU said the 28-member bloc had only itself to blame. Find us on: Youtube http://bit.ly/zr3upY Facebook http://www.facebook.com/euronews.fans Twitter http://twitter.com/euronews A Ukraine-EU free trade deal would pose a "big threat" to Russia's economy, President Vladimir Putin has said. He said Russia could be flooded with European goods virtually without tariffs because of an existing free-trade regime between Kiev and Moscow. Kiev last week put on hold the planned signing of the deal, prompting the EU to accuse Moscow of pressuring Ukraine. The move triggered mass pro-EU protests in Ukraine. But Ukraine's leader said he wanted better terms in the deal. "As soon as we reach a level that is comfortable for us, when it meets our interests, when we agree on normal terms, then we will talk about signing," President Viktor Yanukovych told Ukraine's TV channels. "When this will happen - soon or not so soon - time will tell. I would like that time to come as soon as possible," he added. The demonstrators have pledged to continue their rallies until at least the end of an EU summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 29 November, where Ukraine had originally planned to sign the free trade and association agreement. Speaking during a visit to Italy, President Putin said Russia's economy would be hit if European goods - seen by Russian analysts as good-quality and relatively cheap - were allowed to transit through Ukraine tariff-free. He said Russia's agriculture, car and aviation industries would suffer as a result and there could be a jump in unemployment. "We are not ready to open our gates to European goods." Mr Putin urged EU officials to refrain from "sharp words" on the issue. Referring to them as "our friends in Brussels", he said: "Do we have to choke entire sectors of our economy for them to like us?" On Monday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said they strongly disapproved of Russia's "position and actions". But Mr Putin denies pressuring Ukraine, accusing instead the EU of "blackmailing" Ukraine to sign the treaties. Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had earlier acknowledged that Russia had suggested delaying signing the treaty to conduct negotiations between Kiev, Moscow and the EU. He said President Yanukovych would still attend the Vilnius gathering to discuss the possible three-way consultations, and that talks would be in the best interests of Ukraine. "We absolutely do not want to be a battlefield between the EU and Russia. We want to have good relations with both the EU and Russia." He also said a separate "road-map" talks with Russia aimed at reviving economic ties would start next month and no agreement had been finalised on possible new financial support from the Kremlin. Ukraine's government said last Thursday it was halting preparations for signing the deal with the EU, amid concerns this would have a negative impact on Kiev's trade relations with Russia