Celebrations Turn Dark in Kiev After EU Agreement

KIEV, Ukraine – This was supposed to be a momentous day for Ukraine.



The association agreement with the European Union was ratified on Tuesday by Ukraine’s parliament. This was the deal spurned by former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych last November –- a move that sparked a revolution, prompted his removal in February, and led to Russia's annexation of Crimea and the Russian-backed war in eastern Ukraine.

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The country’s new president, Petro Poroshenko, signed the long-awaited agreement with EU parliamentarians; they were beamed in via satellite to witness the event touted as a move closer toward the West — and further from Russia’s orbit. Poroshenko said the deal was as important as Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991.



As the deal was sealed, hundreds of people were outside the government offices, waving blue and yellow national flags. They were pleased, despite the fact that over the weekend, Russia convinced Ukraine and the EU to postpone perhaps the most significant part — a free-trade agreement — until 2016. Read more...

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