First, the Ukrainian parliament failed to pass laws that would allow jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko to go to Germany for medical treatment. Her release was seen as a sine qua non condition for the signature of the association agreement (AA) in Vilnius.
Neither the Party of the Regions President Viktor Yanukovich, also the country’s president, and the Communist Party did not cast votes, the six draft laws failed to gather the required 226 votes to pass.
“President Yanukovich is personally stopping Ukraine’s road to Europe,” said former Economy Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk, leader of the Batkivschchyna party of Tymoshenko.
A photo circulating over social media depicted EU Ambassador to Kyiv Jan Tombiński, present during the vote, holding his head in despair.
Two hours later, the Ukrainian government announced it had decided to stop its preparations to sign an association agreement with the EU. The statement underlined that the decision was taken with a view to elaborating measures towards “Russia and other countries from the Community of Independent States”.
Ukraine said it would propose to the EU and Russia the formation of “a tripartite commission to handle complex issues”. Also, Kyiv will “resume an active dialogue with the Russian Federation and other countries of the Customs Union and the member states of the CIS on the revival of trade and economic relations in order to preserve and strengthen joint efforts of economic potential”.
The statement does not say whether Ukraine intends to join the Customs Union led by its former Soviet master Russia (see background), which the EU says is incompatible the statute for countries associated with the Western bloc.
The statement has thunderstruck EU officials. Appearing at a press event minutes after the Ukrainian government’s decision became known, Linas Linkevičius, foreign minister of Lithuania, the country holding the rotating EU presidency, said there was not enough clarity following the announcement, and the best option was “to wait” for more information.
“Very difficult to comment immediately, very difficult to say something more. We always said it was in the hands of Ukrainians how to behave, that it was in the hands of Ukrainian leadership, especially of President Yanukovich,” he said.
Linkevičius said the hosts of the Vilnius summit were searching for answers to many questions ahead of the meeting.
He appeared to try to make light of the situation by saying that the developments were “interesting, not boring”.
“We don’t have clarity from Ukraine. Let’s wait. Political life is intensive and very dynamic,” Linkevičius said.
