Tug of war between EU and Russia over Ukraine

Mohammad Amjad Hossain from Virginia, USA | Published: February 13, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2025 06:01:00

The tug of war between the European Union and the Russian Federation over Ukraine, which broke away from the Soviet Union in August, 1991, has turned into massive protest demonstration against President Victor Yanukovych. In order to mount pressure for his  resignation, the demonstrators besieged key government buildings. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets battling the riot police. The uprising against President Yanukovych arose when he abruptly scrapped political and free trade accords with the European Union in the same fashion Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abruptly abrogated provision of caretaker government from the Constitution without people's consent through a referendum. Since President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation threatened Ukraine with economic sanctions over the prospect of an EU deal, President Yanukovych scrapped the agreement for which he had spent years of negotiations with the EU. The onus of the present political crisis in Ukraine squarely lies with Putin who has a dream to form a Eurasian Union for competing with the US and China in the world market. Without Ukraine's huge market which includes mineral resources, including gold mines plus proximity to the EU, Putin has felt his dream is dead.
In the last week of December, 2013 the Ukraine government of Yanukovych accepted a lavish Russian bailout to save the country's economy. Ukraine is dependent on Russian oil and gas. The Russian deal includes cheap gas which could be worth more than $20 billion. The deal could salvage the teetering economy of Ukraine in short term, but makes the country dependent on Russia which majority of Ukraine people do not accept excluding a fraction of Russian-speaking Ukrainians forming 17 per cent of the population in the East. In early February, the situation in Ukraine took a serious turn that forced much-loathed Prime Minister Mykola Azarov to resign. The parliament rolled back a raft of draconian laws against dissidents. Yanukovych's decision to embrace Russia would pay much price as huge demonstrators would continue until the President resigns, political prisoners are released and the presidential power is curbed. Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko has pledged to change not only the government but the rules of the game as well.
The government of President Yanukovych, a commentator said, has paid provocateurs are lurking in the crowds trying to incite violence against the police and government buildings. Both the Moscow Times and the Nezavisimaya Gazeta of Russia are of the opinion that Ukraine needs a reliable trade partner and the EU is not it. Ukrainian exports to the EU and Russia fell last year and the economy has been shrinking although Brussels is whipping up hysteria over Ukraine's rejection of associate EU membership only because it wants to annex a new market for sales of the EU countries' products.
A commentator in the Washington Post, said anger against Yanukkovych's 'venal and arrogant' regime has done what no one opposition leader could ---namely, uniting a country divided between an EU leaning towards the West and a Russian-speaking East that still identifies with the former USSR. Ukrainians of all stripes now sees the ongoing protests as a fight to reclaim their status as dignified citizens in their own land.
The US did not remain a silent spectator to the present situation in Ukraine. Republican Senator John McCain and Democrat Senator Christopher Murphy had been to Kiev in December and dramatically joined the protesters to express solidarity with them where estimated 500,000 demonstrators turned out. While briefing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O Melia said the US stands by the Ukrainians in their struggle for fundamental human rights and a more accountable government. The briefing took place on January 15.
The US signed charter on strategic partnership in 2008. Around $ 5 billion was invested by the US in Ukraine. In an article in the New York Times, three former American Ambassadors to Ukraine said now is the time for the US and Europe to act through external mediation, threats of financial sanctions and a blunt message to Yanukovych's patron Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop meddling. The West could put Ukraine back on the road to democracy, they said.
Meanwhile, leaked conversation between US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has caused annoyance in the EU. She reportedly told the Ambassador that the UN Secretary-General decided to appoint former Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine as his representative to resolve political impasse in Ukraine. She added, "That would be great I think to help glue this thing and have the UN glue it and you know, fuck the European Union". The German Chancellor condemned the comments. The US assistant secretary of state also met Yanukovych in Kiev on February 5 and she was told the President wanted to quickly adopt constitutional changes called for by pro-west demonstrators.
As of now, both Europe, the US and Russia are meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine. This writer believes Putin should study the mood of majority Ukrainians who do not want any more subjugation under Russia. Having seen the high-handedness of Putin and one-party rule for the last 71 years, they are now disillusioned with the Russian Federation. Since Ukraine is located in the central part of Eastern Europe on the crossroads of major transportation route from  Europe to Asia and the Scandinavian states to the Mediterranean region, let Ukrainians take decision  to govern their own country. Enough bloodshed has flown in the Black and Azov seas since non-cooperation movement against the government of Ukraine began in November last year.
The writer is a retired diplomat             from Bangladesh. amjad.21@gmail.com