Well unsurprisingly the EU and Ukraine have come to trading snubs over what is increasingly likely to be something of a failure at the next EU Ukraine summit where once there was hope of initialing the DCFTA and AA. Sounds negative I know. There is still some chance these agreements will be initialed but almost […]
Guilty - 7 years - But what next?
October 12, 2011 by
Well, former Prime Minister Tymoshenko was found guilty of misuse of office and coercing Naftogaz Ukraine into signing a deal that was not in Ukraine’s interests, at least not long term interests. She was sentenced to 7 years. At the time of signing what was certainly not a fantastic deal, circumstances may have appeared that […]
Enter the EU…..not the European Union but the Eurasia Union?
October 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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 […]
Corruption, government assistance or market preparation? The CIS and Ukraine and policy
August 18, 2011 by
Now when I first arrived in Ukraine, the thought of trade wars with Russia and turning the Ukrainian market orientation firmly in the direction of the EU wasn’t really something anybody seriously considered would happen. Even with the gas disputes with Russia after my arrival, they were seen as separate from having any other trade […]