"Time": Putin achieved his goal in Ukraine, the victims were in vain

Kyiv, September 16 (PolitNavigator, Yuri Kovalchuk) – By agreeing to postpone the full version of the association agreement with Ukraine, the European Union actually recognized Moscow’s dominance, writes the American magazine Time.

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In light of recent events in Ukraine, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the conflict with Russia began last winter, when Moscow tried to disrupt the signing of an association with the EU - all subsequent events, from the bloody revolution in Kiev to the war in Donbass, are just a continuation of this conflict. All this could have been avoided if the EU had initially involved Russia in the negotiation process. Last Friday it was finally done.

During closed-door talks in Brussels, representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the EU quietly agreed to delay full implementation of the trade deal that caused the conflict in the first place. Russia has a seat at the table in deciding Ukraine's economic future, and the EU has essentially accepted Moscow's right to influence its neighbor's internal affairs. Later that evening, the EU's most senior official, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, tried to defend the decision during a summit in Kyiv.

Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk noted how good it would have been to make this concession to Russia before, and not after, thousands of Ukrainians were killed. “We are now in a difficult and dangerous situation. So, it turns out, we had the opportunity to avoid all this if the EU and the West had chosen a different political strategy? – asked Pinchuk. Barroso tried to avoid answering, but in the end he was forced to admit that “opposition from Russia this year forced Europe to abandon principles in favor of pragmatism.”

“In terms of principles, I think it is right that the EU respects the free will of our partners and it categorically does not accept the idea of ​​a Europe divided into spheres of influence, but now, to solve the current situation, it is better to focus on what we can do now,” Barroso said.

Until last week, much of the political tension stemmed from the EU's refusal to recognize Russia's right to interfere in Ukrainian politics. During the summit in Kyiv, Barroso acknowledged that Russia has long demanded a say in trade negotiations between the EU and Ukraine. He insisted that Moscow was constantly being refused because “By allowing Russia to participate in these negotiations, we would agree to the division of Europe into spheres of influence and a kind of limitation on the sovereignty of Ukraine.” As a result, on Friday, during trilateral negotiations, the European Union finally agreed to all this.

It should be noted that the European choice in Ukraine was not unanimous. The eastern and southern provinces would be happy to remain in Russia's economic orbit. But the former government's attempt to stall European integration led to its violent overthrow in February.

Prior to this, Russia had been trying for years, using carrots and sticks, to force Ukraine to abandon or at least postpone its pact with Europe. Igor Yurgens, a former Kremlin adviser who has been closely involved in the effort since 2008, acknowledged as much on Friday after the Brussels compromise was made public. “What happened today is exactly what Russia wanted to do before the crisis. If we had done this earlier, there probably would not have been any crisis. I’m very sorry,” said Jurgens Barroso.

All this is little consolation to the families of Ukrainians killed in this year's conflict. It is hoped that the Brussels Compromise will at least help prevent further bloodshed. But it does nothing to compensate for the events of the last nine months. Ukrainians are left asking the same question Pinchuk asked Barroso: if Europe and Ukraine were going to make such concessions to Russia, why didn't they do so before Putin used force? Perhaps this would have saved the Ukrainian people from great grief.