On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the pro-Western protests in Ukraine, EU Council President Donald Tusk called for solidarity with the East European country in the Kiev Parliament. „No just Europe without independent Ukraine. No safe Europe without safe Ukraine. No Europe without Ukraine! „Tusk said in a speech in Ukrainian today.
According to Tusk, the EU will never recognize the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula. „They have withstood, although their partners do not always help as they should help,“ said Tusk, after he had thought together with President Petro Poroshenko of the dead of the protests.
Moscow leads „hybrid war“
Poroshenko warned that the neighbor Russia wants to rebuild its old empire. Moscow is waging a „hybrid war“ not only against Ukraine, but also against the West and „against the democratic, civilized world“.
Poroshenko democratically signed constitutional goals aiming at EU and NATO accession for the coming years. In just under six weeks, Ukraine’s presidential election is scheduled. Poroshenko must fear for his re-election.
Month long demonstrations
In February 2014, after months of demonstrations for an EU rapprochement, the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown. Yanukovych had given billion credits to Russia over an association agreement with the EU. Subsequently, Russia incorporated the Crimean peninsula and supported separatists in eastern Ukraine.
In the conflict with the separatists, according to UN estimates, around 13,000 people have been killed. The protests took place in Kiev mainly on Independence Square, the Maidan, after which the political turnaround was named.
