BELGIUM/FRANCE: EU's Fuel and Ukraine's Deputy PM Arbuzov hold talks on trade pact in Brussels, while in France the European Parliament condemns Russia's pressure to deter Ukraine from integrating closer to the EU

Record ID: 863633

  • Title: BELGIUM/FRANCE: EU's Fuel and Ukraine's Deputy PM Arbuzov hold talks on trade pact in Brussels, while in France the European Parliament condemns Russia's pressure to deter Ukraine from integrating closer to the EU
  • Date: 12th December 2013
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (RECENT) (REUTERS) EU FLAGS OUTSIDE EU COMMISSION BUILDING EU COMMISSION LOGO ON WALL BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (DECEMBER 12, 2013) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** UKRAINE'S FIRST DEPUTY MINISTER SERHIY ARBUZOV ENTERING MEETING ROOM ARBUZOV ARBUZOV AND OTHER OFFICIALS STANDING IN MEETING ROOM PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES OF ARBUZOV AND OTHER OFFICIALS EU COMMISSIONER FOR ENLARGEMENT STEFAN FULE ENTERING, SHAKING HANDS WITH ARBUZOV FUELE AND ARBUZOV SHAKING HANDS, FUELE SHAKING HANDS WITH UKRAINIAN DELEGATION MEMBERS FUELE TAKING SEAT ARBUZOV SEATED DELEGATIONS SEATED AT START OF TALKS STRASBOURG, FRANCE (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF STRASBOURG PARLIAMENT EU FLAGS
  • Embargoed: 27th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium, France
  • City:
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: International Relations,European Union
  • Reuters ID: LVADFA9F6TORD696E6RAXDPF0A0D
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov held talks with top European Union officials in Brussels on Thursday (December 12) to discuss a trade pact that Ukraine's president last month backed away from signing, provoking a political crisis.
    EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele and Arbuzov sat down to discuss issues related to the signature and implementation of the EU-Ukraine association agreement.
    Ukraine, heavily dependent on Russia for energy, has been swept by mass protests since President Viktor Yanukovich postponed plans to sign a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU last month in favour of closer ties with Moscow.
    In Strasbourg, the European Parliament condemned Russian pressure on Ukraine and Armenia to deter them from signing trade agreements with the European Union and urged the EU to consider retaliating if Russian actions broke world trade rules.
    Some of the parliamentarians held up Ukrainian flags to show their support to the demonstrators in the streets of Kiev who are keeping up their protest despite facing brutal police force and freezing temperatures.
    MEPs adopted a resolution on Thursday saying the EU must use all the tools it has, including aid, trade, visa waivers and energy-security projects to support its eastern partners choosing to strengthen their ties with Europe.
    Legislators said Yanukovich's decision not to sign the agreement with the EU was a "major missed opportunity" and they called on EU leaders meeting in Brussels next week to send a strong political signal that the EU remained ready to engage with Ukraine.
    They condemned what they called the "brutal and unacceptable" use of force by Ukraine's security forces against protesters this week and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of arrested protesters.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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