Is Ukraine facing a civil war? There were fierce clashes again in the streets of Kiev between protesters and police forces. “The authorities have declared war to the people of Ukraine and their actions resulted in clashes downtown the capital city”, leader of Ukrainian UDAR party Vitali Klitschko said in a video message to the Ukrainians.

In his turn President Viktor Yanukovych stated that the street clashes put the whole country in danger. “I understand your participation in these large-scaled actions, I am ready to listen to your stance, so that together we can find a way out of this situation. However, now, when the peaceful demonstrations are growing into a large-scaled commotion, including violence, I am sure that this threatens not only Kiev’s community, but the whole of Ukraine as well”, Yanukovych said in a message, addressed to the people.

The crisis emerged after the refusal of Viktor Yanukovych to sign the Association Agreement of Ukraine and the EU during the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, stating that he wouldn’t sacrifice the economic relations with Russia.

As a matter of fact Ukraine requested by the EU a financial support to the tune of EUR 20 bln., in order to sign the agreement.

This expanded support would allow the country to prepare better for its EU accession and the free trade agreement.

However, Brussels states that the conditions negotiated won’t change, because the EU tries to build up a system for exchange of fuel, including blue fuel, within its internal borders. This can be explained with the attempt for reducing the dependence on Russian gas supplies. Ukraine had tried unsuccessfully to achieve reduced gas prices from Russia in the course of several years and after all started to buy from Europe. In November 2012 the state began to import gas from Poland, after an agreement signed with the German RWE company. Kiev also received the first supplies of gas through Hungary. Ukraine also relies on reverse supplies through Romania and Slovakia.

However Europe, unlike Russia, couldn’t offer a constructive program to Kiev. President Yanukovych realizes that the rebate for Brussels within the frameworks of the NAFTA cannot guarantee to the Ukraine the volume of financial support it needs. The EU aims at attracting Ukraine to its economic space, providing a market for its products.

The EU policy turned into hostage to the ambitious policies of young European democracies – Poland, Lithuania etc. Substantial funds have been spent under the Eastern Partnership program, which could be used more effectively to the South and particularly in Bulgaria. At the same time Moldova turned out to be a leader among the Eastern Partnership community, while its government is corrupted, torn apart and not supported by the majority of its people.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev