You're reading: Polish foreign minister: EU lacking political will to sign association agreement with Ukraine

The Association Agreement with the EU will be initialed within the next few weeks, but so far the European Union does not have the political will to sign it, let alone ratify the agreement, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with Channel 5.

"I am convinced that the document will be initialed and formally signed, from a technical point of view, within the next few weeks. But then the question of signing and ratification by the European Parliament on behalf of the European Union, as well as by all EU member states will arise. And I should say that so far there is no political will in the European Union, as well as no political conditions in our relationship to count on the signing of the agreement. Since there is a feeling that the principles of rule of law, of democracy declared in an association agreement are not fully observed in Ukraine," the Polish foreign minister said.

Sikorski noted that high-placed opinion makers in the EU believe that the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was unfair, so the European Parliament was unlikely to find enough votes to ratify this agreement.

"The highest circles shaping public opinion in Europe are not convinced that this was a fair trial. And so, I just do not see where we can take enough votes so that the agreement be approved by the European Parliament," Sikorski said.