EU-Ukraine Association to convene on Tuesday to discuss association deal
European and Ukrainian leaders will gather in Brussels today to discuss the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.
The agreement seeks to build on a December 10 UN resolution, which condemned the annexation of Crimea and called for the withdrawal of military forces, by tying the European and Ukrainian economies. Trade is expected to increase in a host of sectors and investments are to be coordinated by the two parties under the accord.
As a response to growing ties between the EU and Ukraine, Russia has been taking steps to nuclearise Crimea through the development of various forms of nuclear infrastructure, in contravention of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Expect Russia to respond to the EU-Ukraine Association’s commitment to non-recognition and calls for demilitarisation of Crimea as a violation of Russian sovereignty. It is unlikely that Russia will halt its militarisation of Crimea, which has progressively grown since its annexation. Furthermore, expect Russia to use its power as Ukraine’s largest trading partner to force the state to continue to do a bulk of its business with Russia, stymieing the opportunity for meaningful economic integration with the EU.
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