KIEV, April 13 – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Policy Serhiy Tyhypko believes that Ukraine's possible accession to the Customs Union will be profitable at the first stage, while Ukraine's membership of the EU is more profitable in the medium term.

"Of course, at the first stage there will be direct and quick benefits [from Ukraine's accession to the Customs Union]. It's unnecessary even to talk about this, because we'll switch to domestic prices for gas, which is cheaper in the Customs Union, and to domestic prices of oil," he told journalists in Kiev on Wednesday.