Latest Articles about Ukraine
Ukraine—Strong People, Weak State (Part Two): Impact on Foreign Relations
Ukraine’s refusal to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union at the November 28–29 summit in Vilnius has resulted in a sharp cooling of relations between President Viktor Yanukovych and the West. Kyiv is hosting the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)... MORE
Moscow Believes Ukrainian Protests Are Western-Organized Conspiracy
Under Russian pressure, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association and free-trade agreement with the European Union at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius on November 29, triggering mass protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities (see EDM, December 2, 4). In the... MORE
Ukraine—Strong People, Weak State (Part One): The Domestic Situation
Recent developments in Ukraine have rapidly escalated into a political crisis after the authorities allowed special “Berkut” police units to crack down on protesters rallying in Kyiv’s Independence Square (“Maidan Nezalezhnosti”) before dawn on December 1, resulting in over a hundred people being injured. The... MORE
Ukraine and the European Union at the Vilnius Summit and in Its Aftermath (Part Two)
Russia has temporarily derailed the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement (AA) and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) deal at the EU’s Vilnius summit, November 28–29. Moscow achieved this success through economic pressures on Ukraine and threats to escalate such pressures, which the EU could... MORE
Ukraine and the European Union at the Vilnius Summit and in Its Aftermath (Part One)
Ukraine failed to sign the Association Agreement (AA) and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement with the European Union at the Vilnius summit (November 28–29) under the EU’s Lithuanian presidency. The negotiations had been completed and the documents initialed in March 2012, ready... MORE
Failure to Sign Association Agreement with EU Triggers Violence in Ukrainian Capital
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association and free-trade agreement with the European Union at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius on November 29. He blamed this on Russian pressure and the West’s failure to provide assistance. Nevertheless, EU officials said the doors... MORE
Putin’s Ukrainian Triumph Is a Major Setback for Russia
The Ukrainian government’s shocking decision to put on hold the process of finalizing the Association Agreement with the European Union, announced last Thursday (November 21), a week prior the momentous Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, could be interpreted as Russia’s success in sabotaging Kyiv’s “European... MORE
Ukraine: Not Going West for Now
The Ukrainian authorities have seemingly activated a “pause” in Kyiv’s European integration process. President Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions, which controls the government and holds an overwhelming plurality in the parliament, blocked all of the opposition’s attempts to vote through European integration draft laws on... MORE
Kyiv Testing ‘Pause’ in EU Integration
The political situation in Ukraine has been heating up as the European Union’s November 28–29 Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius approaches. Kyiv is preparing to sign an Association Agreement (AA) with the EU at Vilnius, but it is not yet certain whether the signing will... MORE
Crimean Tatar Mejlis Elects New Chairperson as Mustafa Cemilev Steps Down
On October 26–27, the sixth convocation of the Crimean Tatar Qurultay (Crimean Tatar National Congress) took place in Simferopol, Crimea, and elected a new chairperson for the Crimean Tatar Mejlis (de facto, 33-member quasi governing assembly of Crimean Tatars). After the final count of the... MORE