With Ukraine having rebuffed the Russian led Customs Union in favour of the DCFTA with the EU what other ways are there to keep pressure on Ukraine and the EU from a Russian perspective? It seems the answer is another EU. This EU being the Eurasia Union and Mr Putin’s latest announcement. For those of […]
Eastern European Partnership meeting 29/30 September
September 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Well today over the border in Warsaw the Eastern European Partnership meeting takes place between the EU representatives and the six nations within the EaP. So off have trotted the EU high level representatives, suitably encouraged by Baroness Ashton in her warm up speech. Quite. Nothing new in that lot or the agenda. Anyway, I […]
Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Club
September 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Anybody out there heard of the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Club? I have been following this website for a while. I have decided to follow some of the MEP’s involved on Twitter, not that those I follow have tweeted anything at all, let alone anything of substance since I began to follow them. I have emailed one […]
Tymoshenko update (by request not because I want to)
September 14, 2011 by
In response to an email from a dear reader who has asked why I have not mentioned to current state of affairs of the Tymoshenko trial, I will give a brief update although I am loathed to do so. Why am I loathed to do so? Because it is a single case and getting too […]
Ukraine could join the Customs Union led by Russia
September 7, 2011 by
Remember this from only a few days ago? I pointed out that waving a diplomatic stick that the EU does not yet hold by way of DCFTA or AA agreements to beat Ukraine with over issues like the trial of Ms Tymoshenko seemed somewhat previous given they have not yet even been concluded and that […]
Diplomatic threats with sticks you don’t yet hold
September 5, 2011 by
Interestingly, whilst the EU Foreign Ministers met in Poland to discuss various issues, and obviously most heavily reported way comments on Libya and Syria, Ukraine was also mentioned. It was of course mentioned in the context of the trial of Ms Tymoshenko and others for alleged misdeeds whilst in power and subsequent claims of political […]
Off the record conversations - Ukraine and the EU
August 16, 2011 by
Sundays are generally news slow days, often leading to the good woman and I heading off somewhere rather nice to while away a few hours after I have tried desperately to find anything worth saying here for the following day. As with any city, there are places to go and there are “places to go” […]
Using carrots and sticks
August 13, 2011 by
Now here is an interesting article in the EU Observer by a lady called Natalia Shapovalova from the EU think-tank Fride. Whilst I may not agree with everything she has to say exactly, it would be mostly splitting hairs over the exact words used, the core message and strategy is one that I have suggested […]
Tymoshenko arrest and political rhetoric
August 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Well dear readers, ex Prime Minister Tymoshenko has been arrested for what in effect seems to be a continued strategy of “contempt of court”. One can only assume that Ms Tymoshenko, when embarking on this strategy, was deliberately goading the court to take such action and well aware of the probable outcome. If so, nothing […]