Putin: Ukraine Welcome to Work with Russia on Customs Union

Ukraine is still welcome but not obliged to work with Russia on its post-Soviet Customs Union, seen as a potential counterweight to the European Union, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"We are not imposing anything on anyone, but if our (Ukrainian) friends want joint work (on the Customs Union) we are ready for a continuation of that work at expert level," Putin said in his annual address to the nation as pro-EU protests raged in Ukraine.

Kazakhstan and Belarus are already in the Kremlin-led Customs Union, while Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are planning to join. But most analysts believe it will only be complete if Ukraine joins.

By next May, Russia also will finalize the agreements on the Eurasian Economic Union, another step in post-Soviet integration.

"Real achievements of Eurasian integration will only raise the interests of other neighbors, including our Ukrainian partners," he said.

"I expect that all political forces of the country will be able to agree and solve all of the accumulated problems," Putin said, adding that Ukraine had expressed desire to join some of the Customs Union agreements for a long time.

"Our integration project is based on equal rights, on real economic interests," he said in the Kremlin to an audience of governors and MPs, broadcasted live.

"We will systematically push ahead with the Eurasian process without opposing other integration projects, including such a mature project as the European one."

Painting Russia as strong but respectful of other countries, Putin said it "does not claim to be some kind of superpower, which aspires to world hegemony."

"We don't encroach on anyone's interests, we don't force our protection upon anyone, we don't lecture anyone on how to live," he said.