EU, US exploiting nationalism to fend off Russia in Ukraine
Ukraine’s opposition will march on parliament to pressure lawmakers struggling to end a deadly three-month political standoff, jeopardizing compromises that eased tensions over the past week.
Vitali Klitschko, a former boxing champion and EU man, and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a lawmaker and former central banker, plan to lead thousands of demonstrators today on the first mass action outside their Independence Square compound since Jan. 19, when the last attempt to reach parliament erupted in clashes with police.
“If politicians don’t make a decision, we the people will,” Serhiy, a 23-year-old from the Lviv region near Poland, said inside the encampment, wearing camouflage and a bulletproof vest adorned with a paper “self defense” badge. “We’ve had enough. We’re fighters. We haven’t come here to listen to talks. If we decide to act, we’ll act.”
The standoff began Nov. 21, when Yanukovych pulled out of a free-trade deal with the EU, opting instead for President Vladimir Putin’s offer of $15 billion of aid and cheaper gas.
Russia, which stopped buying bonds from Ukraine’s cash-strapped government after Yanukovych’s Russian-born prime minister, Mykola Azarov, resigned on Jan. 28, said yesterday it will resume purchases, including $2 billion this week. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov made the announcement just as Klitschko and Yatsenyuk were meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to seek financial and political backing to form a new government.
Jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko called on EU leaders to drop all demands and sign a historic pact with Ukraine without any preconditions at a summit that opens Thursday.
The EU demanded that Ukraine boost the rule of law and free the jailed former prime minister before the two could sign a landmark political and free trade deal.
But last week President Viktor Yanukovych’s government stunned the West by halting all negotiations on the deal that would have set it on a path to EU membership, saying it wanted better terms.
Yanukovych said he would still travel to the two-day summit in Vilnius to continue negotiations but his government’s shock decision sparked the biggest rallies since the pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004.
“If Yanukovych takes a positive decision, I passionately ask you to sign the agreement on Friday without any hesitation and conditions including those that are related to my release,” Tymoshenko, 53, said in a message read out by her daughter Yevgenia late Wednesday.
“I thank you for steadfastly defending democracy in Ukraine. But today it’s necessary to release not just separate political prisoners,” said Tymoshenko who on Monday launched a hunger strike in solidarity with pro-European protesters.
“It’s necessary to free Ukraine. That means it’s necessary to sign the agreement if Yanukovych agrees to it.”
“By signing the agreement with him, you would help an entire nation to overcome a civilisational abyss created by erroneous ideologies and agressive empires, you would make another important step towards re-uniting the entire Europe.”
The Ukrainian government’s decision to scrap the EU pact has brought tens of thousands onto the streets since Sunday.
Setting up camp in central Kiev and led by opposition leaders including world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, protesters has staged mass rallies since Sunday.
Yanukovych has called for calm after the protests turned violent, with riot police firing tear gas and protesters hurling traffic cones and rocks at the security forces.
Yanukovych stressed he would wait for better EU terms including financial aid before considering signing the deal. He said the bloc offered insufficient compensation for the damages Ukraine would suffer by rupturing ties with historic master Russia.
The EU said it was still ready to talk about the deal but the ball was in Ukraine’s court.
“Our offer stays on the table,” said the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele.
The debate over Ukraine’s future has turned into a heated diplomatic tussle between the EU and the Kremlin.
Russia wants its smaller neighbour to join a Moscow-led Customs Union which already includes the ex-Soviet states of Belarus and Kazakhstan. Moscow has repeatedly threatened Ukraine, which heavily depends on Russian natural gas, with economic retaliation if it signed the EU pact.
Top EU officials have said they “strongly disapprove” of Russian pressure on Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded by advising “our friends in Brussels, my personal good friends in the European Commission, to hold back on the sharp words”.
Kiev’s move to scrap the deal with the EU came after parliament failed to adopt legislation that would have freed Tymoshenko.
Shortly after she lost to Yanukovych in a 2010 presidential election, she was sentenced to seven years on abuse of power charges that the West sees as politically motivated.
Ukrainian opposition leaders Klitschko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleg Tyagnybok are also expected at the Vilnius summit. – AFP
Heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko has paid tribute to South African boxer Corrie Sanders who died Sunday after being shot in an armed robbery.
“Corrie Sanders was the most difficult opponent I ever fought,” the 41-year-old World Boxing Council (WBC) champion told Germany’s Sport Bild Plus.
Sanders beat Vitali’s younger brother, Wladimir, by technical knock-out in Hanover, Germany in 2003 when he stopped the Ukrainian in the second round in a major upset to win the WBO heavyweight title.
He fought Vitali Klitschko a year later in Los Angeles for the vacant WBC heavyweight title, but lost by a technical knock-out in the eighth round.
“Corrie was fast, could give and take a punch. His style was very dangerous and did not suit me. I was very pleased to be able to win this fight,” Vitali Klitschko said.
The Klitschko brothers expressed condolences on their Facebook page Sunday after hearing of Sanders’ death.
“We were shocked to learn of the sudden death of Corrie Sanders and we want to express our sincere condolences to his family,” they said.
“We will remember Corrie as a great person both inside and outside the ring. He was a great fighter with a big heart who always positively represented the sport of boxing.”
[ad 1]
Sanders, 46, was shot in the stomach and hand while attending a family celebration at a restaurant at Brit near Pretoria on Saturday evening. He was taken to hospital where he died early Sunday.
South African news reports Monday said Sanders had been at his nephew Michael’s 21st birthday party at the Thatch Haven Restaurant when four armed men stormed in randomly shooting.
According to SAPA news agency, the former boxing champion was at the entrance to the venue, making his way to the buffet, when the shooting started.
Eyewitnesses said Sanders had told his daughter Marinic, 15, to get down and play dead and was covering his daughter when he was shot.
Police brigadier Thulani Ngubane told South African news media a search was continuing for the gunmen in a murder inquiry. – Sapa
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
