Putin courts Ukraine ahead of planned EU deals

Putin courts Ukraine ahead of planned EU deals:

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Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Ukraine to weigh carefully the benefits of joining Russia's regional trade bloc against its plans for closer ties with the European Union on a visit to Ukraine to attend a religious festival.
Putin used references to common history to remind Ukraine of the potential benefits of a closer alliance with Russia, just four months before a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius where Kiev hopes to sign landmark deals with the European Union.
"There is tough competition going on for the global markets. And I am sure most of you realise that only by joining forces we can be competitive and win in this rather tough struggle," Putin told a conference in Kiev on Saturday."

'via Blog this'