Ukraine is a key state in the opening of the EU to the east. However, the envisaged agreement with the State for the time being stopped: Russia has thwarted the West. EU Parliament President Schulz admits now, how fatal the Europeans have miscalculated.

It is an admission that it has not done everything right in the negotiations with Ukraine. The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has asked to speak before the EU summit on the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius: “I think we have underestimated the drama of the domestic political situation in Ukraine”, the SPD politician said in Germany radio.

The country was “economically and above all financially in the deepest crisis” since the introduction of democracy, Schulz said. “The urgent need money urgently need a reliable gas supply.” The European Union was not as much as Russia ready to help Kiev.

“States that are in crisis to help, which is not particularly popular in Europe,” said European Parliament President. “And Ukraine get when you look at the old offers from Moscow, short-term assistance that we can not afford as Europeans in this form or wish to make.” That is, according to Schulz, one of the reasons why the Ukrainian government had decided “under this enormous pressure” at the end for cooperation with Russia.

EU East summit in Vilnius:No compensation

As of Thursday evening, the EU heads of state and government meet in Lithuania. To close there with Moldova and Georgia Association Agreement. Really wanted this and the Ukraine, the Kiev government refrained but for the sake of closer cooperation with Russia on it. Moscow had previously threatened with trade disadvantages.

The EU is still ready to prepare the signing of the Association Agreement again if Kiev again einschlage the path to the EU approach, emphasized Stefan Füle. He is the responsible for Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner. “We remain committed to our intention to raise the relations between the European Union and Ukraine on a new level,” he said.

Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Sergei Arbuzov emphasized in Vilnius, his country had not turned away from the EU. Destination in the country is even more “European integration”. However, he complained that Brussels has offered no compensation in the negotiation of the EU agreement for the losses that would be incurred his country through the loss of benefits on the Russian market. Therefore, delaying the signing.

President Viktor Yanukovych will meet before the official start of the summit with EU leaders. Planned a meeting with EU summit chief Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is on Thursday, the Commission informed.

EU East summit in Vilnius: Call from prison

In Vilnius, also numerous Ukrainian opposition politician as the boxing champion Vitali Klitschko were expected, wanted to make the pressure for an EU course of their country. Also, the imprisoned opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko spoke up: She called on the EU to drop all conditions for signing the Association Agreement with Ukraine. The leg also consider their release, which had made ​​a condition for an agreement with Kiev the EU countries.

If President Viktor Yanukovych cases a positive decision , the agreement should be signed on Friday, it said in a read aloud of Tymoshenko’s daughter Yevgenia statement on Wednesday evening. ” I’ll call you passionately on to sign the agreement without hesitation and conditions on Friday – even without the conditions relating to my release ” , let the boss explain opposition to the address of the EU Heads of State and Government.

It is not only necessary , individual “political prisoners ” release , but must be ” liberated Ukraine ” . The deal would help their country “to overcome a civilizational chasm ” which had been created ” by false ideologies and aggressive empires ,” it said in the appeal . The 52 -year-old Tymoshenko was sentenced in 2011 for abuse of office in connection with contracts with Russia on gas supplies to seven years imprisonment . Western governments spoke of a political process. The EU Member States had made ​​her release again a condition for an association agreement .

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