Everyday madness of Eastern Ukraine via @Newsdonetsk pic.twitter.com/owOKuTnA80
— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) September 12, 2014
Here are some more details on the delay with the EU-Ukraine free-trade agreement from our news desk and RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent Rikaed Jozwiak:
BRUSSELS -- The European Union and Ukraine have delayed the application of their deep and comprehensive free-trade agreement (DCFTA) by 15 months -- to December 31, 2015.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said today that Ukraine will continue to benefit from an opening of the bloc's market for Ukrainian goods until the agreement enters into force.
He was speaking in Brussels following talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Russian Economic Development Minister Aleksei Ulyukaev.
De Gucht said the reason for the decision was the very fragile economic situation in Ukraine.
He added that the delay leaves time for the three parties to "consult on how to address concerns raised by Russia."
This would be done as part of efforts to "fully support the stabilization of Ukraine," he said.
De Gucht added that the decision was "part and parcel of the comprehensive peace process" in Ukraine, where government forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists since April.
Russia has repeatedly raised concerns over the economic implications that the DCFTA might have for its economy, and threatened to introduce import tariffs on Ukrainian goods if the EU and Ukraine proceed with the application of the deal from November 1.
De Gucht's statement comes just after the EU – along with the United States -- imposed another set of sanctions aimed to punish Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.
De Gucht also said that the ratification of the DCFTA, scheduled for September 16 in both the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada, will go ahead.
Earlier today in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called the planned ratification of the accord a "historic moment" that defines his country's future.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was quoted as saying the EU is ready to disburse 760 million euros ($985 million) of additional aid, part of a package of direct loans, to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
The Reuters news agency reported that Barroso, who is visiting Kyiv, wrote the comment in the text of a speech to be delivered at a conference in the Ukrainian capital.
"Six hundred million euros have already been disbursed and 760 million euros can be disbursed in the next month, provided some of the conditions are met, notably economic reforms and the fight against corruption," Barroso wrote.
The aid is part of a package announced earlier this year to help Ukraine’s economy get back on its feet.
(Reuters, dpa, AFP)
What the EU has just done to Ukraine is the same as to break up with someone on a Friday evening. via text.
— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) September 12, 2014
As far as I can grasp, it's not the whole Association Agreement that's delayed- just trade deal (DCFTA) that lowers tariffs btwn countries
— Laura Mills (@lauraphylmills) September 12, 2014
Looks like the EU & Ukraine have put off their trade deal for a year to ward off Russian retaliation. Details murky. http://t.co/oiCkNtkz1u
— max seddon (@maxseddon) September 12, 2014
Can Ukraine win the war in the east? http://t.co/HpgVuEZeoz pic.twitter.com/L6sP1gmOyy
— Ian Bateson (@ianbateson) September 12, 2014
What Russia did yesterday, cutting by 10% the gas supplies to the EU member states, is a very serious wake-up call for the EU.
— Arseniy Yatsenyuk (@Yatsenyuk_AP) September 12, 2014
We are now closing the live blog for today. Don't forget that you can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
Strong words from Yatsenyuk this morning:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to destroy Ukraine as an independent country.
"His goal is to take the entire Ukraine ... he wants to eliminate Ukraine as an independent country," Yatsenyuk said.
Speaking at an international conference in Kyiv on September 13, he said "Putin wants another frozen conflict" in eastern Ukraine.
Yatsenyuk also said Russia was "a threat to the global order and to the security of the entire Europe."
He described a cease-fire between the government and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine agreed in Minsk on September 5 as just a "first step" to "stop a massacre."
Yatsenyuk said a new wave of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union and the United States posed a major threat to the Russian economy.