Ukraine PM urges cooperation with Russia

Ukraine PM urges cooperation with Russia

	Published : Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:15 By : Agencies Print this Story

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine's prime minister on Monday urged the country's defense industry enterprises to increase cooperation with Russia, a move that could make it even more difficult for this ex-Soviet republic to join NATO some day.

'We understand very well that today our main partner (in this sector) is Russia,' the Russian-leaning Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said, ordering his deputy to start talks immediately with his Russian counterparts.

Yanukovych put the brakes on Ukraine's bid to become a NATO member last year, dealing a blow to pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko, who had hoped Ukraine could win a place in the military alliance as early as next year.

Ukrainians remain sharply divided over NATO membership. Many fear membership would harm relations with Russia and hurt Ukraine's military industries, which remain closely linked with Russia. Supporters of NATO membership argue it would increase Ukraine's security and open up new military markets to its products.

Yanukovych complained that Ukraine is seeing its military industrial cooperation with Russia decrease. He recalled that former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov had said that if Ukraine is always talking about imminent NATO membership, Russia will have to do its military industrial planning without Ukraine.

'Therefore we must clearly define our orientation,' Yanukovych said.

Communist and pro-Russian protesters, meanwhile, tried to prevent a pro-NATO conference in the capital from getting under way by attempting to block the entrance. Police had to call in reinforcements, and the conference, part of a series of pro-NATO information events, went ahead.

'We are not a Western nation, we are Orthodox Slavs and our alliance should be with Russia,' said 17-year-old protester Sergei Orlovsky, one of about 50 protesters. They prayed and held signs that read: 'NATO, Hands Off Ukraine' and 'We are not Yankees. We are Slavs and Our Brother is Russia.'