Ukraine and Europe Sign the Trade Deal That Sparked a Revolution

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko holds up a pen after a signing ceremony at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, June 27, 2014.

Image: Olivier Hoslet, Pool/Associated Press

By Amanda Wills2014-06-27 12:27:00 UTC

The deal that started a revolution in Ukraine has finally come into fruition.

Ukraine's newly elected president signed a historic trade and economic agreement with the European Union on Friday that more closely aligns the country with Western powers — something that many Ukrainians have been fighting for since November and a deal that Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to avoid.

See also: Ukraine's Underground Army of Civilians

A beaming Petro Poroshenko called it "maybe the most important day for my country" since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The agreement lets businesses in former Soviet republics Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia trade freely in any of the EU's 28 member nations without tariffs or restrictions, as long as their goods and practices meet EU standards. Likewise, goods and services from the EU will be sold more easily and cheaply in the three countries.

But for Ukrainians, the deal represents a shift in cultural mindset, shedding its Soviet identity for a new one.

Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych backed out of the same deal last year in favor of siding with Russia, igniting mass demonstrations in Kiev's Independence Square. The early stages of the protests were relatively quiet, but things unraveled when the president sent in riot police who, in turn, clashed with demonstrators in the streets.

The violence ebbed and flowed for months until it came to a head in February when government troops in Kiev killed nearly 100 people in a span of just two days. Those clashes led to a bloody week that ended in the toppling of Yanukovych's regime. The ousted president then fled the country for Russia.

Since the ouster, Russia has hovered over Ukraine like a dark shadow. Just weeks later, masked troops—which turned out to be Russian soldiers—started popping up in Crimea, a peninsula in the country's south that is home to a majority of Russian-language speakers.

Although Ukraine's interim government sent in a few troops in an attempt to quell a takeover, the unorganized effort was unsuccessful. Under the gun, Crimea held a referendum and was annexed from Ukraine. Today, Russia considers Crimea its territory, however, the EU and other Western powers have stated that they refuse to recognize it as such.

See also: In Pictures, Crimea's New Russian Identity

At the same time, pro-Russian insurgents started emerging throughout the eastern regions of Ukraine, inciting bloodshed and even more tension with Russia. Some 110,000 Ukrainians have fled this year for Russia. Another 54,000 have left their homes but remained in the country as Ukraine fights separatist rebels, according to the UN refugee agency.

Though there is now technically a cease-fire in place, a permanent peaceful solution will be one of Poroshenko's biggest tasks as Ukraine's new president.

But for now, he can bask in at least one huge victory this week with this trade agreement, which European Commission experts say will boost Ukraine's national income by $1.6 billion a year. Poroshenko, however, will eventually have to overcome Russian opposition to this deal.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, center, poses with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, left, and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, right on June 27, 2014. Poroshenko signed a deal with the EU on Friday that more closely aligns the nation with Western powers.

Image: AP Photo/Associated Press

"There will undoubtedly be serious consequences for Ukraine and Moldova's signing," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said.

Putin didn't immediately comment on the EU deal. Over the past week, Putin, whose regime has been trampled with sanctions from Western nations over his involvement in Ukraine, has made moves showing his interest in de-escalating the conflict in the east.

"The most important thing is to guarantee a long-term regime of cease-fire as a precondition for meaningful talks between the Kiev authorities and representatives of the southeast (of Ukraine)," Putin said Friday.

The cease-fire is set to expire at 10 p.m. local time on Friday.

Topics: Politics, US & World, World