On 21 November 2013, the Ukrainian government announced its decision to suspend its preparations for signing the Association Agreement with the EU. According to media reports, President Viktor Yanukovych had informed Štefan Füle, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, of the decision two days earlier. In its statement, the Ukrainian government said the decision had been taken for ‘reasons of national security’, as well as the need to improve its declining trade with Russia and other CIS countries. At the same time, Kyiv suggested the creation of a tripartite commission of Ukraine, the EU and Russia, which would work to remove barriers in mutual economic cooperation and trade liberalization. The government also announced a return to dialogue with the Customs Union.* The Ukrainian government’s withdrawal from signing the agreement with the EU has sparked the biggest public protests since 2004.
The Eurasian Customs Union (EACU) is a customs union which consists of all the Member states of the Eurasian Economic Union. It came into existence on 1 January 2010. Its founding states were Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. On 2 January 2015 it was enlarged to include Armenia. Kyrgyzstan acceded to the EEU on 6 August 2015. The original treaty establishing the Customs Union was terminated by the agreement establishing the Eurasian Economic Union, signed in 2014, which incorporated the Customs Union into the EEU's (Eurasian Economic Union) legal framework.
· Why did the Ukrainian government make this decision?
· Was the initiative to incorporate Ukraine into EU and/or NATO during the last 20 years too aggressive, especially given the complete realignment of the Baltic States and the historical ties between Russia and Ukraine?
· Causes of the crisis and the goals of the Maidan Revolution (2014)
· President Yanukovych signs a transition deal with Ukraine’s opposition leaders (February 21, 2014). Why did it fail? Why did Victor Yanukovych flee after signing the agreement with the opposition?
· US position and EU position, specifically: German, French, Polish
· Russian position (Annexation of Crimea; What was the Minsk Agreements about? Could the “Steinmeier Formula” have led to peace in eastern Ukraine?)
· The Russia-Ukraine war (causes and consequences)
· Is defense of Ukraine a vital US interest? Why or why not? Are there US and EU red lines that should or must be drawn? Are the Russian red lines acceptable? Are we drawn into a tacit acceptance of Spheres of Influence?
· Scenarios of a “Way Out” of the crisis
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