Poland pledges support for Ukraine

Polish President Bronislav Komorowski said yesterday that he will lobby the European Union to sign a landmark Association Agreement with Ukraine, provided the upcoming parliamentary election is free in fair and regardless of the status of imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, according to Kommersant. The comments came after a meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Brad Wells: Poland has long been Ukraine’s major champion in the EU and their continued support is critical, particularly since Ukraine has been losing favor in other EU quarters on concerns about democratic backsliding and persecution of the opposition. We also note that Polish diplomat Jan Tombinski officially took over as the head of the European Union delegation in Ukraine earlier this month. We expect Polish support will help to keep EU-Ukraine dialog constructive in the near term, though any meaningful breakthroughs (including on the Association Agreement) seem off the table for now. At the same time, if Ukraine’s parliamentary election falls short of international standards, then even Polish backing will not be enough to salvage a veneer of cordial EU ties.