After First ECHR Ruling, a Time to Reflect on Ukraine and Tymoshenko
In the months to come, Europe and Ukraine must practice true Realpolitik. With luck, passions will have cooled to the point that good statesmanship is not merely possible, but likely.
The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and Ukraine Pass in the Night
It would be easier for Ukraine to take the co-rapporteurs’ suggestion and eliminate the European Union’s last remaining objection to Kyiv. It must not do so. The rule of law is too precious to be cast aside even in the name of national interest.
Ukraine, Tymoshenko and the European Court of Human Rights
The ECHR deserves a plaudit for rejecting the most ridiculous of Tymoshenko’s allegations, effectively undercutting Tymoshenko’s narrative of a brutal regime that imprisoned and tortured her in the prelude to a rigged trial.
Europe Makes the Wise Choice to Continue Engaging Ukraine
Today, this week, Europe and Ukraine finally appear to be on a path to eventual union, a welcome development for those who have long believed in the country’s European path.
Lutsenko Pardon a Victory for Engagement Over Confrontation
The real credit, however, belongs to those who advocated continued engagement with Ukraine. Those European dignitaries who continued to act as intermediaries between Brussels and Kyiv are the unsung heroes here.
PACE Leader Hopes for Association Agreement With Ukraine Later This Year
This thaw is almost certainly a result of the realization that the constant bludgeoning Ukraine took from Brussels over every failure strengthened apologists for Russia against Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s hard pivot to the EU.
Belarus Works to Prop Up Failure
A hard government need not have a poor economy. It is a testament to Lukashenko and his cronies that they can neither manage functional democracy nor economic growth.
Moldova Descends Away from EU
Beyond the concerns over how the government will fare are larger ones about what this means for the rule of law in the small former Soviet dominion.
Association Agreement Between Ukraine and EU Moves Forward Despite Russia
The undercurrent to this and other recent events is the continuing Europeanization of Ukraine. In fits and starts, Ukraine is adopting the social and legal norms of a European country.
Now Is Not the Time to Force Ukraine into Russia’s Embrace
There has been talk in Washington of late of sanctions against Ukraine for the continuing tribulations of Yulia Tymoshenko. This would be a profound error.