Ukraine’s Prime Minister Defends Stronger Trade Relations With Former Soviet States

KIEV, Ukraine—Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said he did not believe the country’s recent free trade agreement with a group of seven other former Soviet states presented a long-term risk to its plans to draw closer to the European Union.

Azarov, in an interview with BNA, discussed a wide range of topics, from energy imports, to grain pools, to intellectual property rights, particularly for pharmaceuticals. Azarov said the country is taking steps to change its role as a producer of and destination for fake pharmaceuticals.

But his government is taking a wait-and-see attitude on several fronts, Azarov said, including an ...