ST. PETERSBURG, Oct. 18 - Russia, Ukraine and six other former Soviet republics signed a free-trade agreement Tuesday that will scrap export and import duties on some goods, The Associated Press reported.

The deal was announced after talks in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city.

Three more ex-Soviet nations — Uzbekistan and oil and gas-rich Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan — did not sign the agreement but said they would consider doing so before the end of the year.