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World from Berlin: Ukraine's Complaints Are 'Insolent'
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/german-press-ukraine-influenced-by-russian-pressure-and-corruption-a-935083.html
The Ukrainian government's decision to withdraw from discussions of a planned trade deal with the EU is drawing condemnation in Europe. German editorialists decry Russia's strong-arm tactics in the run-up to the decision.
World from Berlin: Ukraine's Complaints Are 'Insolent'
November 22, 2013 – 01:21 PM
German newspapers have reacted harshly to Ukraine's decision to call off plans to sign a trade deal with the European Union. Critics argue that the pull away from Europe is another sign of corruption in the Ukrainian regime, and of Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy of using threats to maintain power over former members of the Soviet Union.
On Thursday the Ukrainian government said in a statement that it would halt "the process of preparing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union" to "ensure the national security of Ukraine" and "restore lost trade volumes with the Russian Federation." Instead of working toward the EU trade deal, Kiev announced plans for a joint commission to discuss relations between Ukraine, Russia and the EU.
The announcement came in the wake of the Ukrainian parliament's rejection of several bills that would have allowed the country's imprisoned former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko -- whose jail sentence is widely seen as politically motivated -- to leave the country for medical treatment. The trade deal had been contingent on Tymoshenko's release.
The decision is especially fraught because Ukraine is in the midst of a tug-of-war between Europe and Russia. Moscow has been pressuring the country to join its own Customs Union with Kazahkstan and Belarus -- a prototype rival to the EU -- and the Russians have threatened economic sanctions and travel restrictions if the deal with the EU were to go through. It has also attempted to entice the Ukrainians with affordable gas prices.
