KIEV, August 20 (Itar-Tass) — Ukraine realizes that European progress is impossible without good neighbour relations with Russia, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said in an article published in a weekly in the country on Saturday in connection with the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
The years of independence have proved that such relations are possible only on the basis of strict observance of the bilateral balance of national interests and mutual respect. The state and its authorities will do everything to form such a balance, he noted.
Yanukovich also emphasized the importance of relations with the United States and China. According to him, Ukraine will continue to develop cooperation with NATO and other organisations on security in Europe.
National pragmatism, in the basis of which are a Ukrainian citizen’s interests, is a guideline to build relations with other states, he noted.
The time will come, and Ukraine in about ten years will be in the European Union and will enter the circle of developed countries, the Ukrainian leader believes.