“In Kiev, they use their“ political arithmetic ”, but in 1991-2013, only due to low gas prices, Ukraine saved more than $ 82 billion for its budget, and today it literally“ clings ”to $ 1.5 billion of Russian payments for the transit of our gas to Europe.
Whereas with the preservation of economic ties between our countries, the positive effect for Ukraine would amount to tens of billions of dollars, ”he said.
According to him, Ukraine and Russia have been developing as a single economic system for a long time.
“The depth of cooperation that we had 30 years ago could be the envy of the EU countries today.
We are natural, mutually complementary economic partners, ”the Russian leader emphasized.
As Putin added, such a close relationship between the two countries can enhance the competitive advantages of both states.
Also, in his article, Putin called the emergence of a “wall” between Russia and Ukraine in recent years as a common misfortune and tragedy.