EU Association Agreement will be a stimulus for Ukraine, president says

The Ukraine-EU Association Agreement should become an important stimulus for forming a contemporary European state, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said on August 24 in his Independence Day address. “Simultaneously, we should preserve and continue deepening our relations and integration with Russia, the countries of the Eurasian community, other world leaders and new centers of economic development,” he said. Ukraine never supports “the politics of new walls and conflicts,” he said. “We are learning to correctly handle our freedom. We are not shutting ourselves from the world, not painting it in black and white colors and are consistent in our policy of harmonious peace and dialogue.”

Zenon Zawada: Yanukovych’s Independence Day address offered the same, consistent foreign policy approach that he outlined in the early days of his presidency in 2010. The comment about deepening relations and integration with Russia by no means indicates his interest in pursuing the Customs Union, which is what has drawn the Kremlin’s ire in recent weeks. It’s clear that Yanukovych is committed to signing the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, which will be the first step towards a systemic, wholesale improvement of the business and investment conditions in Ukraine.