Russia is the largest economic power that is not a member of the World Trade Organization. But that may change. Last Friday, the European Union said it would support Russia’s (36) to become a W.T.O. member.
Representatives of the European Union met with Russian(37) in Moscow. They signed a trade agreement that took six years to (38) .
Russia called the trade agreement (39) . It agreed to slowly increase fuel prices within the country. It also agreed to permit (40) .in its communications industry and to remove some barriers to trade.
In (41) for European support to join the W.T.O>, Russian President Putin said that Russia would speed up the (42) to approve the Kyoto Protocol, an international (43) agreement to reduce the production of harmful industrial gases. (44) .
Russia had signed the Kyoto Protocol, but has not yet approved it. The agreement takes effect when it has been approved by nations that produce at least 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. (45) . The United States, the world’s biggest producer, withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol after President Bush took office in 2001. So, Russia’s approval is required to put the Kyoto Protocol into effect.
(46) . Russia must still reach agreements with China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
