MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/: Ukraine’s anti-Russian police strips it of the competitive edge it might have should it opt to cooperate with Russia, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house, said on Saturday.
Commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words about competitive advantages from potential cooperation between Kiev and Moscow, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office said earlier on Saturday that the relations between the two countries should not be determined by the leaders’ geopolitical ambitions.
"The reason why Zelensky is against ‘geopolitical ambitions’ in relations with Russia is quite simple: since 2014 Ukraine has been a pawn in the United States’ geopolitical game. And the longer Kiev is indulging in trading in Rossophobia, the more joint with Russia competitive advantages will be lost," Slutsky wrote on his Twitter account.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with TASS on Friday that "any integration of Russia and Ukraine, along with their capacities and competitive advantages would spell the emergence of a rival, a global rival for both Europe and the world.".
