Quotes

“As tensions rise with Ukraine, as Russia seeks to establish a Eurasian Union, and as Vladimir Putin stands unopposed for the Russian presidency, one has to ask whether the European Union has written off the concept of one Europe and is now helping to build a new psychological wall in the East”
Dec 5, 2011

Viktor Tkachuk, the director-general of the Ukrainian Foundation for Democracy "People First"

"If the [Ukraine-EU] summit takes place [in December], as the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry believes, then it will just be a formality. The representatives at this summit won't have influence on the prospects for the agreement being initialed. Our diplomatists realize that there will be no show. And there will be no propaganda scenario, which will allow Ukrainian government to say: Look! We're signing a document at the highest level."
Nov 30, 2011

Centre UA NGO Chairman Oleh Rybachuk

"New charges leveled at [Yulia] Tymoshenko earlier this month shed light on the lack of independence of the Ukrainian judiciary and on the partisanship of Ukraine's elite. Ukraine cannot be welcome in the European family if Ukrainian authorities do not respect European standards and values."
Nov 28, 2011

The European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek

I never contradict myself. I have not yet become a schizophrenic. Although it's possible to become one with our press [media].
Nov 25, 2011

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said in the interview with the Kyiv Post on Nov. 22.

Millions of my countrymen and I stood in freezing weather for weeks defending our right to a free and fair election. We showed that Ukrainians could unite around freedom and democracy and prevail. We proved that we were Europeans. Those were jubilant days filled with hope and inspiration.
Nov 22, 2011

Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion and politician Vitali Klitschko

Ukraine fatigue undermined Ukraine’s integration into NATO, which looked promising in 2005-2006. [Valeriy] Khoroshkovsky’s SBU is a major factor in contributing to Ukraine’s democratic regression. [Viktor] Yushchenko’s support for [Yulia] Tymoshenko’s sentence undermines his claim to be a supporter of Ukraine’s European integration as the case has derailed the chances of Kyiv signing an Association Agreement.
Nov 16, 2011

Taras Kuzio, senior fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, School Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC.

“The European Union sees no progress in Ukraine's compliance with fundamental European values, so a declaration that the country will ultimately become a EU member cannot be included into the association agreement yet. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's  trial was conducted in accordance with laws written in the days of Stalin and Khrushchev. This does not comply with European values. Even the trial itself did not meet our ideas of justice.”
Nov 14, 2011

Head of the European Union delegation to Ukraine Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira

“The European Union will not finalize an association agreement with Ukraine at a December summit in Kyiv unless former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is released from jail. This is not only about decriminalizaton [the statutes under which Tymoshenko was convicted], but also changing the approach.”
Nov 11, 2011

Vice President of the European People’s Party Mario David