DISINFO: The association agreement between Ukraine and EU proposed by Brussels was a deception
SUMMARY
The association agreement between Ukraine and EU proposed by Brussels was a deception that concealed the Obama administration’s plans to separate Kyiv from Moscow […] and integrate Ukraine into NATO.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Euromaidan, encircled Russia and EU subordinated to US and NATO. The claim is also consistent with a pro-Kremlin narrative, suggesting a behind-the-scenes conspiracy. The Euromaidan was a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement promised for a long time and then rejected under Moscow’s pressure. The idea of an association agreement, based on the recognition of Ukraine as a European country sharing a common history and common values with the Member States of the European Union (EU), dates back to Yushchenko’s presidency (2005 -2010). In March 2007 negotiations on a new enhanced agreement, which would replace the previous Partnership and Cooperation agreement, began between Brussels and Kyiv under the EU-Ukraine Action Plan. During the EU-Ukraine Summit held in Paris in September 2008, the parties reached an understanding and agreed that the new enhanced agreement would be known as the Association Agreement. Twenty one rounds of negotiations on the Association Agreement were held between 2007 and 2012. The conclusion of the negotiations on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement had been announced at the EU-Ukraine Summit on December 19, 2011 during Yanukovych’s presidency. In 2008 Ukraine had applied to join NATO, but at NATO’s Bucharest summit in April 2008 NATO decided not to offer Ukraine a Membership Action Plan (MAP). Only a vague promise of NATO membership in the future were made. In subsequent years the issue of NATO membership for Ukraine went dormant. Only after Russia’s use of force to seize Crimea and Russian aggression in Donbas did the Ukrainian political élite increasingly stress the importance of Ukraine joining NATO. NATO has reinforced its support for defense capability development and capacity-building in Ukraine in response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.