Surikov: Ukraine, Belarus, Russia should aim at equal partnership with EU

          Ukraine, Belarus and Russia should strive for equitable cooperation with the European Union, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belarus Alexander Surikov has said in an interview to the Map of the World TV show on RTR-Belarus channel.Speaking about Russia’s support for Belarus and Ukraine, he mentioned Russia’s plans to provide Belarus with a $2 billion loan and to purchase Ukrainian eurobonds worth $15 billion. He noted: “Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are in fact fraternal Slavonic states. We should focus our efforts on equitable cooperation with the European Union. Equitable! The European Union should not view us as a sales market for its products, which is the case with Bulgaria and the Baltic States; we should retain our manufacturing industry.
        We supported Ukraine in this situation and we are working to promote integration, I mean the Customs Union and the future Eurasian Union, in order to create a competitive economy for strategic cooperation with Europe on equal terms”.