Caspian Report - Issue 06 - Winter 2014

Former President
of Ukraine Viktor
Yanukovych.
SERGII TOLSTOV
102
not plan to provide Kiev with any economic
aid.
The basic principles and the rules of
the “Eastern Partnership” program
were approved in 2008-2009. According
to these rules the Eastern European
partners of the EU are not considered
as candidate members of the
THE EU LEADERSHIP OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT WANT TO
GET INVOLVED IN DISPUTES WITH MOSCOW AND WILL
AVOID A DIRECT CONFLICT.
EU (unlike the countries of the former
Yugoslavia). The principles of solidarity
specified by the Treaty on the Functioning
of the European Union for the
member-countries are not extended
to them. Allocation of funds within
the “Eastern Partnership” program is
defined in the 7-year EU budget. Further,
the “Eastern Partnership” countries
are not eligible for loans from the
European Central Bank.
The European Commission declares
as before that it has no intention to
enter into trilateral negotiations with
Russia and Ukraine on trilateral economic
relations and harmonization
of trade conditions between the EU,
Ukraine and Russia. Some European
politicians say that these negotiations
could have been held if Ukraine had
signed the Association Agreement
with the EU (and if, apparently, this
Agreement had entered into force)
but such arguments are unpersuasive.
The European Commission and the
US administration could potentially
revise the conditions to allow for the
extension to Ukraine of the new IMF
new credit program.
Thus, the refusal by Yanukovich to
sign the Association Agreement damaged
the international prestige of
the EU. The actions of the Armenian
leadership and later those of Ukraine
questioned the efficiency and productivity
of the “Eastern partnership”
program and the EU’s political influence
in Eastern Europe.