Ukrainian officials will try next week to secure US agreement in principle on a bilateral trade deal required for entry to the World Trade Organisation, Economy Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Saturday.
Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, a technocrat installed last month to end infighting in Ukraine's liberal administration, will lead a delegation to Washington for five days of talks likely to be dominated by WTO-related issues.
"(My) task is to persuade our American friends that Ukraine has the correct approach in terms of signing a bilateral protocol," Yatsenyuk told Reuters after a cabinet meeting. He gave no indication when a deal might be signed.
Securing WTO membership and winning formal "market economy" status from the European Union are the initial goals of President Viktor Yushchenko's plan to move into the European mainstream and ultimately secure EU membership.