| Author (Corporate) | Deutsche Welle |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Article |
| Series Details | 12.12.13 |
| Publication Date | 12/12/2013 |
| Content Type | News |
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President Vladimir Putin delivered Russia’s state of the nation address on the 12 December 2013. He discussed both the role of Russia in the world and challenges facing Russia internally. He also expressed optimism that a political solution could be found to the crisis in neighboring Ukraine. He also denied putting any pressure on Ukraine to join a customs union with Russia. On 12 December 2013, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle met with Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov in Brussels to discuss ways towards the signature and implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. For this purpose, they agreed that on a basis of a clear commitment of Ukraine to sign the Association Agreement they will: (1) prepare a roadmap for implementation of the AA/DCFTA (2) facilitate and continue supporting Ukraine in its endeavours to create the necessary conditions conducive to reaching an arrangement with the IMF (3) use the existing bilateral consultation mechanisms, which will examine swiftly in depth all issues related to the implementation of the AA/DCFTA. However subsequently, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle announced the suspension of talks. 'Work on hold', he tweeted, adding that he had told Mr Arbuzov that Ukraine needed to show a 'clear commitment to sign'. Deutsche Welle on 13 December 2013 reported that the three main opposition leaders Vitali Klitschko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and Oleg Tyangybok agreed to attend talks with President Yanukovych aimed at resolving the political crisis. Approximately, 200,000 people rallied in Kiev on the 15 December 2013 to protest against President Yanukovych's refusal to sign a landmark EU deal. Protesters expressed concern at the news that Ukraine and Russia planned further talks on the 17 December 2013 to agree on Russian gas prices and resume talks about a three-party gas consortium to manage Ukraine’s pipeline network. A smaller pro-government protest also took place. Also on the 15 December 2013, the European Commission announced it was halting work on a landmark trade and political pact with Ukraine, while details emerged of the sanctions the United States and the EU would impose on President Viktor Yanukovich and oligarchs if there was a crackdown on demonstrators. |
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| Source Link | http://dw.de/p/1AXn8 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Russia, Ukraine |
