Ukraine President Tells Poles He Wants EU, NATO Membership

[Hindustani78]

Ukraine President Tells Poles He Wants EU, NATO Membership - Real Time Brussels - WSJ

Ukraine’s president said in Warsaw on Wednesday he would propose to walk away from the country’s nonaligned status to eventually join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

“Ukraine’s non-aligned status announced in 2010 hasn’t guaranteed our security and our territorial integrity which is why in this chamber today I made a decision that the country will return to the Euro-Atlantic security direction,” Petro Poroshenko said in a speech to Polish parliament, frequently interrupted by applause. “After returning home, I will propose to Ukrainian parliament a bill renouncing my country’s nonaligned status.”

Poland has supported Ukraine’s independence and was the first country to have recognized it after the collapse of communism in 1989, seeing Ukraine as a potential ally separating it from mainland Russia.

Amid the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and Moscow’s explicit warnings that it could use its nuclear arsenal to advance interests, Poland’s prime minister, Ewa Kopacz, in her first appearance in that role in September backtracked on how far Warsaw was willing to go to support Kiev. She said Poland’s priority was its own safety and that Poland wouldn’t “supplant Ukrainians in reforming their country.”

Western leaders are divided as to Ukraine’s prospects of membership in the EU and NATO, with some of the larger countries opposing it in order not to irritate Russia. Mr. Poroshenko recognized on Wednesday that Ukraine isn’t currently welcome to join those organizations.

“There were times when Poland was also not welcome and had to fight for its right to be in the European Union. We will follow your path and will win,” he said.

Ukraine hopes to formally apply by 2020 for EU membership, he added.

“I’m dreaming of the moment when after I end my presidency I will have a chance to run in elections to the European Parliament representing Ukraine there.”

He also said a referendum on NATO membership will be organized and that Ukraine will switch to NATO military standards.

Ukrainians made a mistake by being pacifist in the 1990s and missed their chance to integrate with NATO, Mr. Poroshenko said.

“Over the past 20 years, Poland has advanced so much, is a member of the EU and has shown it’s able to get great results. Ukraine lost many of these years,” he said, adding his nation was paying a high price, losing soldiers in the fight with Russian-backed separatists, “for our European identity and our independence.”

 

[Khalid Newazi]

So, Poland is also joining Russia!

 

[Hindustani78]

So, Poland is also joining Russia!

Poland is already part of EU and NATO where as Russia is against EU and NATO.

 

[Superboy]

EU is Germany's chessboard. NATO which is Washington Treaty is the US's chessboard. Earth to Poroshenko, what's the point of talking to Poland?

 

[Hindustani78]

EU is Germany's chessboard. NATO which is Washington Treaty is the US's chessboard. Earth to Poroshenko, what's the point of talking to Poland?

EU founding members of the Community were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany and this block made the expansion of EU which was a economic block against the Warsaw pact countries.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/world.php?yyyy=2014&mm=12&dd=19&nav_id=92618

December 19, 2014 | 09:33
Source: Reuters, Tanjug
BRUSSELS -- "Russia's approach to Ukraine and to the EU" is a challenge to the latter "which does not make European leaders too optimistic," says Donald Tusk.

Rather, this makes them "realistic," the new president of the European Council was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"In fact Russia is today our strategic problem, not Ukraine," the former Polish prime minister told a news conference, "after chairing a summit at which EU leaders discussed Russia and its involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine."

"The biggest challenge today is the Russian approach, not only to Ukraine but also to the EU," Tusk said.

He said Moscow's "aggressive" stance towards Ukraine and the EU had been triggered by "the decision of Kiev to sign a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU," Reuters reported.

"It is obvious we will not find a long term perspective for Ukraine without an adequate, consistent and united European strategy towards Russia," he said.

 

[Superboy]

To join NATO or Washington Treaty, there is only 1 country to talk to, that's the US. To join the EU, there's is only 1 country to talk to, that's Germany.

 

[Hindustani78]

To join NATO or Washington Treaty, there is only 1 country to talk to, that's the US. To join the EU, there's is only 1 country to talk to, that's Germany.

Americans have already exited from Europe and now the European countries have already made their own command centers. Germany is one of the founding member , there are even other countries who are having equal voice in EU and now its being Poland which is leading EU foreign policy.

 

[Hindustani78]

'Ukraine – to NATO' public movement created
31.12.2014

'Ukraine – to NATO' public movement has been set up, to facilitate the country's joining NATO.

"We, participants in the Revolution of Dignity, public and political figures, servicemen, representatives of parties, public, artistic and scientific organizations, laborers and farmers, the youth and students, initiate the creation of 'Ukraine – to NATO' movement," reads the organization's statement, the transcript of which has been obtained by Interfax-Ukraine.

The group behind the creation of the movement included the first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, well known politician and army general Yevhen Marchuk, Ukrainian diplomat Volodymyr Vasylenko, writer Dmytro Pavlychko, politician Ivan Zayets and former Foreign Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko.

The main goal of the organization is to facilitate Ukraine's entry into NATO, which is, according to the initiators of the movement, the most reliable and efficient way to secure Ukraine's security.

"The fact that Ukraine is a part of Europe from a historical point of view and our neighbors are NATO members pushes us, in the current difficult situation, not to delay but on the contrary – speed up Ukraine's joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," reads the statement.

In addition, the initiators urged the Ukrainian authorities to appeal for NATO membership and facilitate an all-Ukrainian referendum to support Ukraine's joining NATO.

At the press conference on the creation of 'Ukraine – to NATO,' Yevhen Marchuk noted that Ukraine's way to NATO would involve a lot of work for both the government and Ukrainian citizens.

"We, Ukraine, are in between the two largest military-political systems, that are not only competitors but also opposing parties," Marchuk said.

Therefore, Ukraine must make a decision to stop being a bridge between the two that "everybody can walk on," Marchuk added.

 

[Galad]

Neither EU nor NATO will ever accept Ukraine as member-a simple reality.

 

[Hindustani78]

Lithuania supports Ukraine and its goal of EU integration - watch on - uatoday.tv
Jan. 1, 2015

Lithuania, which joined the euro, supports Ukraine's goal of European integration


As Lithuania adopted the euro currency on January 1st, there have been signs all across the capital Vilnius that demonstrate Lithuania's support for an nearby country that has similar aspirations.

Lithuania has been supporting Ukraine and its goal of European integration and it's been noticable on the streets.

Valeriy Zhovtenko, Ukrainian Ambassador to Lithuania: "There were Ukrainian flags in Vilnius. This is the enthusiasm of Lithuanians. I've been driving around the city and took photos of the flags. I have a collection of photos of flags, hung on buildings, on balconies. It's very pleasant."

Lithuania has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia began its aggression in east Ukraine and has been providing Ukrainian soldiers with medical care.

 

[Superboy]

Germany calls the final shot in the EU. Germany is the one to ask in terms of the EU. The US calls the final shot in NATO. The US is the one to ask in terms of NATO.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ukraine, EU to hold consultations on new import duties
05.01.2015

The European Commission and the Ukrainian government will hold an urgent video conference on Monday evening, to discuss new import duties imposed by Kyiv.

Both sides will discuss the introduction of new import duties in keeping with a law concerning measures to stabilize

Ukraine ’s balance of payments, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in late December, Ukraine's Mission to the EU reported.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Finance Ministry, Economic Development and Trade Ministry, Head of the EU Group of Support for Ukraine Peter Balazs and the European Commission's trade representatives will participate in the consultations.

Germany calls the final shot in the EU. Germany is the one to ask in terms of the EU. The US calls the final shot in NATO. The US is the one to ask in terms of NATO.

During the term of Robert Gates , United states did asked NATO member states to take financial burdens as United states was spending alone but now Eu countries are taking their responsibilities and increasing their military budgets. Now all the EU members of NATO are buying military equipment but i hope that the human rights charters will not be over looked.

 

[Hindustani78]

Lithuania's mission to Ukraine starts performing function of NATO contact embassy - EN.DELFI
BNS
Friday, January 2, 2015

Lithuania's Embassy to Ukraine is becoming the NATO contact-point embassy to Ukraine for a period of two years.

The tasks of a NATO contact-point embassy include disseminating information about the Alliance's operations and its policies, organizing educational events, cooperating with the local press, government institutions and non-governmental organizations.

Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the embassy would place a special focus on work in Ukraine's regions.

"I am glad that Lithuania has been entrusted with the honourable task of representing the Alliance in Ukraine. We seek to reinforce NATO cooperation with Ukraine and promote the country's Euro-Atlantic integration," Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said in a press release.

The Embassy to Ukraine will replace Poland's embassy at the function of NATO's contact-point embassy in the country.

The Ukrainian government, which is fighting Russian-supported separatists in eastern regions of the country, recently said it would seek to join NATO.

 

[Hindustani78]

Germany provides 500 million Euro loan to Ukraine - watch on - uatoday.tv
Jan. 7, 2015

Ukraine PM Yatsenyuk in Berlin for bilateral talks

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk began a two-day official visit to Berlin on Wednesday by paying a courtesy visit to German President Joachim Gauck at the Bellevue presidential palace.

Earlier Ukraine and Germany signed a loan deal amounting to 500 million euros.

According to Yatsenyuk the credit-line was granted for a period of 20 years at a very low interest rate.

Tomorrow Yatsenyuk will join German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks followed by a joint news conference.