Moscow: Russia's customs union with Kazakhstan and Belarus won't come into "full force" on July 1 as planned, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
The three countries failed to resolve differences on integrating customs policies and maintaining protectionist tariffs in areas such as car manufacturing and aerospace, Putin said in an interview with Mir television station, according to a transcript published on the government's website.
The prime ministers of the three former Soviet states didn't reach an agreement on "sensitive" economic issues at a meeting in St. Petersburg, Putin said yesterday.
Single market
"Experts" will resume talks in two weeks, he said.
Putin said Russia and the two countries may accelerate the ratification of documents to create a single economic market by 2012.
Some aspects of the customs union took effect on January 1.
Russia may give more humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan following April's revolution in the central Asian state, Putin said.
Armenia has also applied for a $1 billion loan from a regional fund set up by Russia to finance construction of a rail link to Iran, Putin said, adding that the request is currently under consideration.