Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko signed off on a trade pact with the European Union Friday, a move that Poroshenko considers was the best since leaving the Soviet Union, while an outraged Russia disagrees threatens that there will be reprimands.
According to The Associated Press, the pact allows Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia to trade with all 28 nations involved in the EU pact without any constraints; trading will be simple and free as long as they adhere to the EU rules and regulations. The EU also will benefit greatly from this contract, as it costs less to sell in those countries. The pact also deepens Ukraine’s relationship with Europe, while pushing itself further from Russia.
Russia Deputy Prime Minister Grigory Karasin resents Ukraine’s decision and promised that there will be ramifications for their actions. Karasin however, did not state what those ramifications would be. The EU also has sanctifications prepared for Russia and pro-separatists should it need to intervene in the future.
This is not the first time Ukraine has pondered membership with the EU. Last November former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych decided not to go through with it, causing violence to erupt in Ukraine. Yanukovych then visited Russia, who later on annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, Fox News noted.
Poroshenko gladly signed the contract Friday and announced that he used the same pen that Yanukovych would have used. He has high hopes that the pact will be a “dream come true” for Ukraine.