(Vatican Radio) The European Union and Ukraine have signed a landmark agreement on
forging closer political and economic ties, in a show of support following Russia's
annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. The accord was signed while, in Moscow,
Russian President Vladimir Putin formally absorbed Crimea into Russia.
Ukraine's
Interim Prime Minister, Arsenyi Yatsenyuk, signed the long-awaited EU Association
Agreement amid concerns over his nation's future.
Former Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovych's abandonment of the EU deal in November triggered protests, his
removal and Russia's incursion into Crimea.
In emotionally charged remarks,
Yatsenyuk reminded EU leaders that scores of people had given their lives for the
agreement.
"It started as pro-European protests. And let me commemorate those
who gave their lives for this treaty, too. And for our freedoms and liberties. And
for our European future," he said.
ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT The EU Association
Agreement is designed to give the country's interim leadership economic and political
support at a difficult time for Ukraine.
At a pompous ceremony in Moscow, President
Vladimir Putin signed a parliament-approved law, formally absorbing the Crimean Peninsula
into Russia.
“Moving forward, we’ll need to put a lot of work into adopting
Crimea and bringing it in line with the Russian Federation’s constitution, economy
and social system,” he said.
While he spoke, Crimean residents were seen
queuing up to exchange their Ukrainian passports for Russian ones.
LONGER
INTEGRATION The full integration period of Crimea into Russia is expected to
take nine months. However, British Prime Minister David Cameron made clear the EU
will not wait that long with tough sanctions against Russia.
"We have subjected
12 more individuals to travel bans and asset freezes, bringing the total to 33. We
have cancelled the EU-Russia summit, agreed not to hold bilateral summits and we'll
block Russian membership of the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]
and the International Energy Agency," he told reporters following an EU summit in
Brussels.
"We have agreed to rapidly implement economic, trade and financial
restrictions on occupied Crimea. We will only accept Crimean goods in the EU if they
come from the Ukraine and not Russia," he added.
Moscow has pledged to
retaliate, raising concerns in Kiev that Russia will double natural gas prices. About
one-third of natural gas supplies to Europe come from Russia.
Speaking
in Kiev, however, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he still hopes the current
crisis can be resolved peacefully and diplomatically, "based on principles of the
United Nations Charter, including respect for sovereignty".