EU pushes Ukraine on economic reform
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Newly-elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is making his first trip abroad as head of state to Brussels today. His visit is seen as a bid to allay EU fears that his pro-Russian stance will damage improving relations with Europe and ultimately even threaten the continent's energy security.
"European integration is a key priority," Mr Yanukovych said after today's meetings with senior EU officials.
Mr Yanukovych is widely viewed as a pro-Moscow politician and is opposed to NATO membership for Ukraine. However, during his election campaign last month, he repeatedly stressed that the EU is still has an important part to play in Ukraine’s future.
The form that this future cooperation will take is unclear, but comments made ahead of the new president's Brussels trip indicated that the creation of a free-trade zone with the EU is now a major policy objective in Kiev.
The transit of Russian gas via Ukraine and visa-free travel for Ukrainians throughout the 27-nation bloc featured in today's talks with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and new foreign policy boss Catherine Ashton.
Mr Barroso pressured Mr Yanukovych on the need economic reform, particularly the rapid modernisation and overhaul of its gas sector. This is a pressing issue for Europe, which relies on Ukraine to ensure the transit of the lion's share of its gas supplies from Russia.
On three occasions over the last few years Russia has cut off or reduced gas supplies to Ukraine in rows over pricing, linked to Kiev's difficulty in weaning its economy off the subsidised energy prices it received as a legacy of the Soviet Union. Each time, the knock-on effect was that supplies to EU countries also fell.
