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Ukraine Signs Trade Agreement With European Union Ukraine Signs Trade Agreement With European Union
(about 1 hour later)
BRUSSELS — Seven months after Ukraine’s former president Viktor F. Yanukovych rejected a sweeping trade deal with the European Union and set off protests that drove him from power, Ukraine’s new leader on Friday concluded the pact, which Russia has bitterly opposed as a threat to its own economic and strategic interests in the former Soviet Union. BRUSSELS — Seven months after Ukraine’s former president Viktor F. Yanukovych rejected a sweeping trade deal with the European Union and set off protests that drove him from power, Ukraine’s new leader on Friday accepted the pact, which Russia has bitterly opposed as a threat to its own economic and strategic interests in the former Soviet Union.
The news agency Interfax in Moscow quoted Russia’s deputy foreign minister as warning that “serious consequences” would follow the signing of a deal that Moscow has long worked to derail.The news agency Interfax in Moscow quoted Russia’s deputy foreign minister as warning that “serious consequences” would follow the signing of a deal that Moscow has long worked to derail.
Hours after the signing of the economic accord, European Union leaders announced that they would not impose additional sanctions on Russia for its interference in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Europe, like the United States, has limited its sanctions to an asset freeze and travel ban against a narrow group of Russian political and military figures involved in the March annexation of Crimea.Hours after the signing of the economic accord, European Union leaders announced that they would not impose additional sanctions on Russia for its interference in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Europe, like the United States, has limited its sanctions to an asset freeze and travel ban against a narrow group of Russian political and military figures involved in the March annexation of Crimea.
But the summit statement noted that preparatory work was underway for additional sanctions and set out conditions, including the return of Ukrainian border posts seized by pro-Russian fighters, that it said should be met by next Monday.But the summit statement noted that preparatory work was underway for additional sanctions and set out conditions, including the return of Ukrainian border posts seized by pro-Russian fighters, that it said should be met by next Monday.
With many countries strongly opposed to sanctions that would damage their own economic interests in Russia, European leaders have been divided on how hard to push Russia over Ukraine. The leaders said they were ready to “reconvene at any time” to consider further sanctions.With many countries strongly opposed to sanctions that would damage their own economic interests in Russia, European leaders have been divided on how hard to push Russia over Ukraine. The leaders said they were ready to “reconvene at any time” to consider further sanctions.
The European officials also expressed support for a peace plan for eastern Ukraine put forward this week by President Petro O. Poroshenko and suggested that blame for frequent violations of a ceasefire announced on Tuesday lay not with Ukraine but with pro-Russian militants and Russian connivance in their actions. The European officials also expressed support for a peace plan for eastern Ukraine put forward this week by the new president, Petro O. Poroshenko, and suggested that blame for frequent violations of a cease-fire announced on Tuesday lay not with Ukraine but with pro-Russian militants and Russian connivance.
Mr. Poroshenko, a confectionary mogul who won Ukraine’s presidential elections in May to fill a post left vacant by Mr. Yanukovych’s flight from the country in February, signed the so-called Association Agreement at the Brussels headquarters of the European Union on the sidelines of a summit meeting of leaders of the bloc’s 28 countries. Mr. Poroshenko, a confectionary mogul who won Ukraine’s presidential elections in May to fill a post left vacant when Mr. Yanukovych fled the country in February, signed the so-called Association Agreement at the Brussels headquarters of the European Union on the sidelines of a summit meeting of leaders of the bloc’s 28 countries.
“This is a really historic date for Ukraine,” President Poroshenko told a news conference in Brussels. In a dig at Ukraine’s ousted president, Mr. Yanukovych, he said he signed the agreement in Brussels with the same pen that his toppled predecessor was due to use to sign the same pact, before he changed his mind and set up his own downfall. “This is a really historic date for Ukraine,” President Poroshenko told a news conference in Brussels. In a dig at Mr. Yanukovych, Mr. Poroshenko said he signed the agreement in Brussels with the same pen that his ousted predecessor was supposed to use to sign the same pact — before he changed his mind and set up his own downfall.
He also voiced hopes that Ukraine might one day join the European Union, an option that is not on the table at the moment, and hailed the trade pact as a new beginning for all Ukrainians, including Russian-speakers in the east.He also voiced hopes that Ukraine might one day join the European Union, an option that is not on the table at the moment, and hailed the trade pact as a new beginning for all Ukrainians, including Russian-speakers in the east.
“The signature of this agreement signifies new investment, new rules without corruption and new markets, the biggest market in the world,” Mr. Poroshenko told reporters, adding that he did not expect Ukraine to lose access to Russia or any other markets.“The signature of this agreement signifies new investment, new rules without corruption and new markets, the biggest market in the world,” Mr. Poroshenko told reporters, adding that he did not expect Ukraine to lose access to Russia or any other markets.
The accord with the European Union fulfills an election promise by Mr. Poroshenko to move Ukraine closer to Europe, reversing a course set by Mr. Yanukovych before his ouster. But it could complicate another pledge he made to curb violence by separatists who have seized government buildings in a number of cities in eastern Ukraine where residents feel a close affinity to neighboring Russia.The accord with the European Union fulfills an election promise by Mr. Poroshenko to move Ukraine closer to Europe, reversing a course set by Mr. Yanukovych before his ouster. But it could complicate another pledge he made to curb violence by separatists who have seized government buildings in a number of cities in eastern Ukraine where residents feel a close affinity to neighboring Russia.
Russia has denied any hand in the violence, but armed fighters spearheading the separatist rebellion depend on arms, funding and manpower from across the border. The United States and Europe have repeatedly called on President Vladimir V. Putin to halt this traffic, something he is unlikely to do if Russia wants to display its displeasure over the trade pact with Brussels. The Kremlin warned earlier this week that a trade deal between Kiev and Brussels would force Moscow to suspend preferential tariff rates to Ukrainian goods, and there is concern that Russia might go further by stoking additional violence in eastern Ukraine. Russia has denied any hand in the violence, but armed fighters spearheading the separatist rebellion depend on arms, funding and manpower from across the border. The United States and Europe have repeatedly called on President Vladimir V. Putin to halt this traffic, something he is unlikely to do if Russia wants to display its displeasure over the trade pact with Brussels. The Kremlin warned earlier this week that a trade deal between Ukraine and Brussels would force Moscow to suspend preferential tariff rates to Ukrainian goods, and there is concern that Russia might go further by stoking additional violence in eastern Ukraine.
The signing of the accord by Mr. Poroshenko represented a hugely symbolic political victory, and was greeted in Kiev as a triumph for the thousands of demonstrators who camped out for months in Independence Square, ultimately driving Mr. Yanukovych to flee to Russia. Europe’s call, however, for integrating Ukraine politically and economically into the West seems as distant as ever given the violence still plaguing the east of the country. The signing of the accord represented a hugely symbolic political victory, and was greeted in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, as a triumph for the thousands of demonstrators who camped out for months in Independence Square, ultimately driving Mr. Yanukovych to flee to Russia. Europe’s call, however, for integrating Ukraine politically and economically into the West seems as distant as ever given the violence still plaguing the east of the country.
On Friday, Mr. Putin blamed the months of crisis in Ukraine on Western leaders, saying they had forced Kiev to choose between Russia and the European Union. “The acute crisis in this neighboring country seriously troubles us,” Mr. Putin said after a ceremony to receive the credentials of foreign diplomats newly arrived in Moscow. “The anti-constitutional coup in Kiev and attempts to artificially impose a choice between Europe and Russia on the Ukrainian people have pushed society toward a split and painful confrontation.” On Friday, Mr. Putin blamed the months of crisis in Ukraine on Western leaders, saying they had forced Kiev to choose between Russia and the European Union.
Mr. Putin’s invasion and annexation of Crimea after the ouster of Mr. Yanukovych drew worldwide condemnation, and his close associates have become the target of Western sanctions because of Russia’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. But Mr. Putin insisted that Russia was doing its best to support peace talks and on Friday he called for a long-term truce to replace a temporary ceasefire due to expire on Friday night. “The acute crisis in this neighboring country seriously troubles us,” Mr. Putin said after a ceremony to receive the credentials of foreign diplomats newly arrived in Moscow. “The anti-constitutional coup in Kiev and attempts to artificially impose a choice between Europe and Russia on the Ukrainian people have pushed society toward a split and painful confrontation.”
Mr. Putin’s invasion and annexation of Crimea after the Mr. Yanukovych’s ouster drew worldwide condemnation, and his close associates have become the target of Western sanctions because of Russia’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. But Mr. Putin insisted that Russia was doing its best to support peace talks and on Friday he called for a long-term truce to replace a temporary cease-fire that is supposed to expire on Friday night.
The European Union also, as expected, sealed similar trade pacts with Georgia and Moldova, two other former Soviet republics that Moscow had been eager to keep within its own orbit. As with Ukraine, the big question now is how Moscow will respond to Europe’s renewed push to draw former Soviet territories into its own sphere of influence.The European Union also, as expected, sealed similar trade pacts with Georgia and Moldova, two other former Soviet republics that Moscow had been eager to keep within its own orbit. As with Ukraine, the big question now is how Moscow will respond to Europe’s renewed push to draw former Soviet territories into its own sphere of influence.
Shortly before the signing of the accord on Friday, Sergei Y. Glazyev, a senior adviser to Mr. Putin, accused European leaders of forcing Ukraine to sign.Shortly before the signing of the accord on Friday, Sergei Y. Glazyev, a senior adviser to Mr. Putin, accused European leaders of forcing Ukraine to sign.
“Europe is trying to push Ukraine to sign this agreement by force,” Mr. Glazyev said in an interview with the BBC. Mr. Glazyev last year directed an aggressive effort by the Kremlin to block Ukraine from signing the deal, which included temporarily blocking Ukrainian goods at the Russian border and other punitive measures. “Europe is trying to push Ukraine to sign this agreement by force,” Mr. Glazyev said in an interview with the BBC. Mr. Glazyev directed an aggressive effort last year by the Kremlin to block Ukraine from signing the deal, which included temporarily blocking Ukrainian goods at the Russian border and other punitive measures.
In the BBC interview, Mr. Glazyev called the Ukrainian government “Nazis” and replied “of course” when asked if Mr. Poroshenko, too, was a Nazi. Those statements prompted an unusual disavowal by Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, who told Russian news agencies that Mr. Glazyev’s comments were “not the official position” of the Kremlin.In the BBC interview, Mr. Glazyev called the Ukrainian government “Nazis” and replied “of course” when asked if Mr. Poroshenko, too, was a Nazi. Those statements prompted an unusual disavowal by Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, who told Russian news agencies that Mr. Glazyev’s comments were “not the official position” of the Kremlin.
Ukraine signed the political clauses of the Association Agreement in March but the signing on Friday of its more important and much lengthier economic and trade sections completed a process that the European Union had expected to finish last November, when Mr. Yanukovych abruptly walked away from a deal and triggered months of antigovernment demonstrations in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine signed the political clauses of the Association Agreement in March but the signing on Friday of its more important and much lengthier economic and trade sections completed a process that the European Union had expected to finish last November, when Mr. Yanukovych abruptly walked away from a deal and triggered months of antigovernment demonstrations in Kiev.
The deal offers Ukraine no prospect of actually joining the European Union, membership of which has often gone hand-in-hand with entry to NATO, but Russia nonetheless sees it as a serious threat to its own historically close ties to Ukraine, a fellow Slavic nation that was for centuries part of the Russian empire of the czars and then of the Soviet Union.The deal offers Ukraine no prospect of actually joining the European Union, membership of which has often gone hand-in-hand with entry to NATO, but Russia nonetheless sees it as a serious threat to its own historically close ties to Ukraine, a fellow Slavic nation that was for centuries part of the Russian empire of the czars and then of the Soviet Union.
While Ukraine is the biggest of the three countries to associate with the European Union on Friday and has a far bigger economy with broader implications for trade relations throughout the region, Russia had also voiced strong objections to the signing of the accord by Moldova.While Ukraine is the biggest of the three countries to associate with the European Union on Friday and has a far bigger economy with broader implications for trade relations throughout the region, Russia had also voiced strong objections to the signing of the accord by Moldova.
Moldova, the poorest country on the European continent, was undeterred by the pressure from Moscow, including punitive steps such as a ban on Moldovan wine, one of the country’s main exports. Russia had also threatened potential repercussions for tens of thousands of Moldovan migrant workers living in Russia, though recently the Kremlin has said there will be no immigration crackdown. Russia also exerts influence in Moldova through its support of Transnistria, a breakaway region along the Ukrainian border, where Russia maintains a force of about 1,000 peacekeeping troops.Moldova, the poorest country on the European continent, was undeterred by the pressure from Moscow, including punitive steps such as a ban on Moldovan wine, one of the country’s main exports. Russia had also threatened potential repercussions for tens of thousands of Moldovan migrant workers living in Russia, though recently the Kremlin has said there will be no immigration crackdown. Russia also exerts influence in Moldova through its support of Transnistria, a breakaway region along the Ukrainian border, where Russia maintains a force of about 1,000 peacekeeping troops.
Georgia, which fought a brief war with Russia in 2008, had previously withdrawn from a trade agreement among former Soviet republics and, unlike Ukraine and Moldova, had never been viewed as a potential member of the Eurasian economic union that Russia formed initially with Belarus and Kazakhstan.Georgia, which fought a brief war with Russia in 2008, had previously withdrawn from a trade agreement among former Soviet republics and, unlike Ukraine and Moldova, had never been viewed as a potential member of the Eurasian economic union that Russia formed initially with Belarus and Kazakhstan.
In a speech at the signing ceremeony, the Georgian prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, decribed the accord with Europe as a roadmap for his country’s future towad eventual membership in the European Union, a step that is still seen as far in the future. In a speech at the signing ceremony, the Georgian prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, described the accord with Europe as a road map for his country’s future toward eventual membership in the European Union, a step that is still seen as far in the future.
“The association agreement is the master plan for the European integration of Georgia,” Mr. Garibashvili said. “By gradual legislative harmonization with the European Union, Georgia will achieve political association and economic integration with the union and firmly anchor the country to the European institutions.” “The Association Agreement is the master plan for the European integration of Georgia,” Mr. Garibashvili said. “By gradual legislative harmonization with the European Union, Georgia will achieve political association and economic integration with the Union and firmly anchor the country to the European institutions.”
In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, citizens celebrated with a large public concert, which was also broadcast on all major domestic TV channels. In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, citizens celebrated with a large public concert, which was also broadcast on all major domestic television channels.
“I think today we finally have taken the path to our home,” said Malkhaz Chkadua, 29, who watched the ceremony on television. “Maybe I personally will not live up to the day when Georgia is fully accepted to the European family. But this is the goal that we all now live for.”“I think today we finally have taken the path to our home,” said Malkhaz Chkadua, 29, who watched the ceremony on television. “Maybe I personally will not live up to the day when Georgia is fully accepted to the European family. But this is the goal that we all now live for.”
Last September, Armenia, under pressure from the Kremlin, abruptly dropped its own plans to sign agreements with the European Union and announced that it would join the Russian-backed customs union instead. Armenia is heavily reliant on Russia for security and economic aid.Last September, Armenia, under pressure from the Kremlin, abruptly dropped its own plans to sign agreements with the European Union and announced that it would join the Russian-backed customs union instead. Armenia is heavily reliant on Russia for security and economic aid.