Barroso Won't Rule Out Changes to EU-Ukraine Agreement, If Kyiv Makes Such a Request

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said this i n an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Censor.NET reports. He said that the EU's executive certainly wouldn't be proposing any changes and couldn't "prejudge" the outcome of talks with Kyiv and Moscow about the deal. However, he repeatedly declined to rule out accepting real changes.

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"I think it's in the interests of everybody now to work constructively on these matters," he said. "Frankly speaking I don't believe there is a reason because of the free trade agreement...to have all this, let's say, dramatic positions coming from" one side or the other.

"We are open and we are constructive and are pragmatic," he said, adding that the EU is willing to discuss questions about both the implementation and the impact of the agreement. "If the Ukrainians--listening to Russian concerns--want to discuss some matters with us, of course we are ready to listen."

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Mr. Barroso has been at the heart of the EU's increasingly tense relations with Russia in recent months, speaking regularly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Sept. 12, the EU agreed to give Ukraine more time to implement key parts of the trade portion of the pact to assuage Russian concerns about its impact. However, EU trade chief Karel De Gucht has ruled out any changes to the text of the accord. Several EU officials have said that was the bloc's 'red line.'

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Last week, Russia's Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev wrote to Mr. de Gucht demanding that Brussels and Kiev agree to a mandate for future talks that specifies the substance of the Association Agreement would be open for discussion. The letter, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, said Moscow could still retaliate against Ukraine if it implemented any part of the EU pact over the next 15 months, not just the key trade parts that were delayed.

Mr. Barroso said during his discussions with Mr. Putin there was an "understanding" that the Sept. 12 compromise "was opening the space and the time for discussions about the way to implement the [pact] considering also some Russian concerns."

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European diplomats have already raised concerns that the Sept. 12 compromise could encourage Russia to press Ukraine to seek changes to the pact. On Wednesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said the compromise was "not a very right step." He said "the gates are open" now for Russia to press for a major revision of the pact and warned against that happening.