Brussels, 10/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 9 January, the Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, Kostiantin Yelisieiev, said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda that Kiev's choice between the EU and customs union with Russia was a choice between, respectively, a “clear and hypothetical” process and a “proven and risky” one. It is “obvious” that Ukraine should seek a compromise between its pro-European and pro-Russian foreign policy, but it is also obvious that the price of this compromise should not be the rejection of European integration, he added. In Yelisieiev's view, if Russia does not see the customs union only for its own interest but also for those of its partners, it will help Ukraine to combine European integration and partnership with the customs union. “We should stop thinking as if we were an object of the struggle for spheres of influence and make our conscious choice in favour of the European model of development”, Yelisieiev concluded. Ukraine is awaiting the signature of its association agreement with the EU - a subject which will be discussed at the next EU-Ukraine summit in Brussels on 25 February. (CG/transl.fl)