Contents tagged with Prystaiko

  • Ukraine hopes to renegotiate Association Agreement with EU

    Now is a very good time for Ukraine to renegotiate the terms of the Association Agreement with the EU and deepen cooperation with European countries, Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, told DW.

    "Now is a very good time, because it is just almost a ten-year period, when we can revise the terms and renegotiate the conditions. Our manufacturers have been waiting for it. Because most of the quotas that are set, they no longer suit us, we …

  • Ukrainian foreign minister predicts war between Russia and Belarus, warns Belarus not to expect help from the West

    Russia and Belarus could end up at war with each other, because Moscow cannot let Minsk pursue an independent policy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told the Czech newspaper Respekt in an interview.

    “A few years ago I spoke to a few Belarusian journalists, and when I told them officially that if they want to remain independent, they will face the same war, the same difficulties and the same suffering as us, they did not believe me. Perhaps now they doubt less,” said Prystaiko.

    “Of …

  • Prystaiko on Ukrainian airliner downed in Iran: We want to know who gave the order

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told CNN about Ukraine’s response to the Ukraine International Airlines catastrophe in Iran.

    “I spoke to the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry the day after the catastrophe. At the time, he did not once mention that the plane had been shot down using a missile. Now we have evidence which will help to provide some appeasement to the families of the aviation catastrophe victims. This is the basis for the creation of our coalition – a coalition of …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Germany declined to provide military assistance to Kyiv

    The German news agency RND has cited Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko as saying that Germany refused to provide Ukraine with military assistance “needed for opposing Russian aggression”.

    The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that Kyiv is gratef l to Berlin for financial aid and for support on the international level, but must nevertheless note that the German government declined Ukraine’s request for military aid.

    “I am still expecting official Berlin to revise its stance on this …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Kyiv will demand that peacekeepers be deployed in Donbas if Minsk Agreements fail

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Prystaiko does not rule out that Ukraine can return to the idea of deploying a UN peacekeeping contingent in the uncontrolled territory of Donbass, if the Minsk agreements fail.

    "Our team is trying to do everything according to the Minsk Agreements, and when we realize that there is nothing new to talk about based on the Minsk Agreements and Russia is resisting every issue, then we will turn to the next step... it will not be my decision, but the President’s... …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Kyiv is ready for 'reasonable compromise' on Donbas

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said that the Ukrainian side expects real progress in settlement of the conflict in the Donbas after the Normandy Four meeting.

    During a joint briefing with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Kyiv, Prystaiko said that "We [Ukraine] hope that at this meeting we will achieve the real progress that we have expected since at least 2016, when the last Normandy Four meeting was held."

    Prystaiko said that the Ukrainian delegation will go to the Normandy …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minster: Zelensky and Putin unlikely to meet in Kazakhstan

    Nursultan Nazarbayev did in fact offer to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrange a meeting with Vladimir Putin, but it was an offer without specifics, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told BBC in a comment.

    Prystaiko explained that he was present at the meeting between Nazarbayev and Zelensky in Japan, where the matter was discussed. According to the foreign minister, the former president of Kazakhstan made a “general offer to help organize such a meeting”, which was …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: EU to keep sanctions against Russia

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko stated that the European Union's sanctions against Russia could not be lifted until Russia fulfills its part of the Minsk agreements.

    "We have a consensus with European Foreign Ministers that sanctions cannot be lifted if Russia does not fulfill its part of the Minsk agreements," wrote Prystaiko on Twitter.

    Prystaiko also noted that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry asked to strengthen sanctions because of the recent so-called "elections" in the Russian- …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister explains failure to withdraw troops in Donbas

    The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, in an interview with Ukrinform, provided the reasons for the failure to withdraw forces in the Donbas.

    Prystaiko admitted that in Ukrainian society withdrawal of the troops deeper into Ukraine is perceived as a retreat. "To move away deeper into our territory is painful," he said. The Minister noted that now it is "a hot topic that causes a lot of emotions" in Ukraine.

    "The Ukrainian Armed Forces were withdrawing, but the Ukrainian government, …

  • Kyiv: Ukraine is preparing another prisoner swap with Russia

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said that Ukraine is in a crucial stage of preparing an exchange of three groups of prisoners with Russia, reports Radio Liberty.

    "This process is at a crucial stage. But I can't report either how many people or the dates of the exchange," said Prystaiko.

    Prystaiko added that he does not talk about the dates and number of citizens for exchange because, in such a process, any word can "play a dramatic role," not in favor of the prisoners. Answering …