Russias Putin accuses EU of pressuring Ukraine Fri Nov 22, 2013 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the European Union (EU) of pressuring Ukraine over its decision to suddenly scrap plans to sign a deal with the European Union, saying that EU, and not Russia, is blackmailing Kiev. Putin denied on Friday allegations from the West that Kiev has bowed to Russian pressure, saying it was instead Brussels, which was blackmailing Kiev. We have heard threats from our European partners toward Ukraine, up to and including promoting the holding of mass protests, said Putin on Friday, adding, This is pressure and this is blackmail. Whether the Ukraine and the Ukrainian leadership will give in to such blackmail will be clear only in the next few days. Putin’s remarks came a day after Ukraine decided to suspend signing an imminent trade agreement with EU, saying it would revive talks on a deal with Russia. According to a decree issued by Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarovs office, the decision was made to ensure the national security of Ukraine after considering effects of trade with Russia. It also spoke of the need to restore lost trade volumes with the Russian Federation. Kiev has also announced its pullout from the deal as lawmakers have failed to come up with legislation that would allow jailed former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, to travel to Germany for medical treatment. The approval to allow Tymoshenko to travel was a key condition set by EU leaders for the trade deal. The former premier was jailed for seven years in 2011 for allegedly abusing her power by signing a gas deal with Russia that prosecutors said was ruinously expensive for Ukraine. Meanwhile, some 3,000 demonstrators took to the streets on Friday to oppose the decision in the fiercely pro-Western city of Lviv, located near the border with the EU. A day earlier, a thousand people protested the government’s decision in the capital Kiev and additional protests are planned for later today and Sunday.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:20:56 +0000
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