Long complex agreement. But if the EU actually cared about Ukrainians, all the EU needed to do was simply unilaterally suspend all tariffs, and immigration rules for Ukraine. Then they could sit back and the free market do its magic.
They owed Ukraine this reparation after the Euro depredations of WWII to a nation already raped by the USSR.
The Russians would have been compelled to offer competing generous terms. Ukraine could have prospered as a free trade middleman.
But this never really was about what would be good for Ukraine. It was about punishing Putin for Syria, for the homo policies, and for kicking out our NGOs. About the EU gaining a gas advantage over their Russian suppliers, and of course, about moving NATO deeper east to menace Russia.
Ukraine was screwed.
Ukraine has been trading with the US and Europe in increasing amounts every year since it’s independence.
I’ve posted factual evidence of that here ad nauseum.
But still many people refuse to let it stop them from posting about how all of a sudden, like magic, Russia is annexing Ukraine - and that poor Ukraine needs to join the EU for some kind of “support”.
When all along Ukrainian international trade has been increasing dramatically, as has foreign direct investment.
The US-Ukrainian Business Council - right at the top of it’s website home page, glories in the fact that it’s been operating in Ukraine since 1995.
That’s almost 20 years.
So there is no need to join the EU in order for Ukraine to trade with the West.
All that’s happened is during those two decades, the West’s private sector, working cooperatively with Western goverments (you’ll note the USUBC executives were working for the US State Department’s USAID 30 years ago), has moved into Ukraine’s economy and politics bigtime, using the corruptocracy that was in place to lock in their own presence in ownership and market share.
Of course, having Ukraine join the EU places their government - and the legislation it enacts - under control of the EU.
Just look at the “austerity” the EU forced on Greece. It never could have done this so efficiently and effectively if Greece was not an EU member, but just a trading partner.
It’s as plain as the nose on a face, the EU is slowly assimilating countries to the east.