Hopes and intrigues of the summit

In Vilnius on Thursday evening, the European Summit of Eastern Partnership opened

The chapters and representatives of the top leadership of 34 states arrived at the EU Eastern partnership summit : all 28 countries of the European Union plus Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. Belarus is presented by Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei. The main intrigue of the meeting at the top is the possibility of signing by Ukraine an agreement on the association with the European Union , which official Kiev recently refused, but the invitation to which in Vilnius is still in force .

Vilnius airport all day works with increased load, 45 official international delegations arrived in the capital of Lithuania. To discuss the prospects for the further relations of the European Union with the eastern neighbors, the participants of the summit on Thursday began at a business dinner in the Grand Duke Palace with medieval interiors, not so long ago restored in the historical center of Vilnius.

President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych planned to meet with the head of the European Council Herman Van Rompeem and the chairman of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barrosa before starting the summit in Vilnius. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking of the recent decision of Kyiv, suspend preparations for signing an agreement on the Association of Ukraine with the EU, said that "the door is still open to Ukraine." Earlier on Thursday, the EU expressed regret in connection with the decision of the Ukrainian government to refuse to participate in the EU East Partnership project, which sets the main task to develop integration ties with six countries of the former USSR - Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Belarus.

President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych said that Ukraine will need about 160 billion euros to adapt to the EU. The amount of this amount was amazed to the authorized European Commission for the expansion and policy of the good neighborhood of Stefan Fules, who, however, noticed that in Vilnius the door to the association with the EU for Ukraine was open until the morning of Friday. At the same time, one of the initiators of the Eastern Partnership program, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Karl Bildt in Vilnius immediately stated that Brussels would not enter into negotiations at the level of bargaining:

- We are talking about the access of Ukraine to the world's largest integrated economic market. This is due to the modernization of various sectors of the economy, and not with the bribery of people by paying billions.

Karl Bildt noted that Ukraine would have useful a loan of the International Monetary Fund, regarding the receipt of which the EU promised, in the case of signing the contract, to assist Kyiv. According to the Swedish Minister, Ukraine will not wait for investments if an agreement is not reached by the agreement on free trade with the EU. Karl Bildt also said that he did not agree that the decision of Kiev to postpone the signing of the contract is the victory of Russia:

- This decision is also bad for Russia, because the modernization of Ukraine is the interests of Russia, it would contribute to modernization and the Russian economy.

President Yanukovych put the country in a situation where it was especially vulnerable to external pressure. He lost the opportunity to moor to Europe and now drift. But where he will take him - to the east or to the bottom - I don’t know that, - Carl Bildt crawled.

According to the analyst of the Kiev Institute of Euro -Atlantic cooperation Vladimir Gorbach , if the Ukrainian authorities are not ready to sign this agreement, then this does not mean that Kiev should not take part in the summit:

- This is a convenient platform so that Viktor Yanukovych can explain his position to European partners and decide what to do next. Much will depend on the summit resolution. The game has not yet been finished, but it is already clear that the strategic position of the Ukrainian leadership has suffered greatly.

In addition to Viktor Yanukovych, the First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Arbuzov and the leaders of the three parliamentary opposition factions arrived in Vilnius: Arseny Yatsenyuk, Vitaly Klitschko and Oleg Tyagnibok. Oppositionists and experts are convinced that Yanukovych intends to drag out time for further bidding, both with Moscow and Brussels, Vladimir Gorbach continues:

- All this looks bad for the Ukrainian authorities, because she overestimated her importance. In relation to the European Union, Viktor Yanukovych has recently behaved like an elephant in a bowl shop. The EU reaction to this was adequate. But at the same time, he did not bargain anything with Russia. Such a “play in balance” ended in pressure from both sides. And if from the European side the influence of diplomatic methods was influenced, then from the Russian-strict trade and economic pressure. As a result, Russia threatened to completely abandon trade relations with Ukraine and thus destroy its industry.

In the center of Kyiv, the seventh day continues an unlimited action for European integration. On the Euromaidan there is not only young people, but also middle -aged people with the symbols of Ukraine and the European Union. Supporters of the European choice of the country on Thursday reached a rally entitled "Eurosvia." One of the organizers of the Euromaidan, civil activist Yegor Sobolev notes:

- We want all of Kyiv, all of Ukraine, and honestly, all of Europe see that a huge number of Ukrainians have made their European choice.

If there is no result in Vilnius, the mood on the street will become radical, the participants in the action, and the Ukrainian singer Ruslan stated at Euromaidan that if the president of Ukraine now does not sign an association agreement, he must resign. According to Yegor Sobolev , two options for the development of events are being considered at Euromaidan:

- One - to call people to the assault on government buildings, the blocking of houses in which ministers and the head of state live. Many people like this option, but we are civilians, we are protesting in a civilized way and understand that in this case bloodshed is possible. It is clear that the power will defend himself, now there are a lot of fighters of police special forces around the Maidan of Nezalevo. The second option - we say that we have done a lot, let's go and we will collect the Euromaidans in our yards, at work, in our life, that is, it becomes a propagandist of European values by his own example.

The action in the center of Kyiv will continue until the summit ends in the capital of Lithuania on November 29. Then, as some opposition politicians offer, large rallies should take place in the Ukrainian capital every Sunday until the authorities fulfill the requirement of protesters.

In Vilnius, in parallel with the Summit of the heads of state, the Eastern Partnership Today conference is now being held: political challenges and civil society, in which, for example, Poland Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorsky, Belarusian opposition Anatoly Lebedko and Sergey Voznyak, Ukrainian opposition politician Vitaly Klichko, Yulia Timoshenko, a former employee of the Tsruk, participate. USA, diplomat and political scientist Bruce Jackson . The latter in an interview with the Lithuanian portal Delfi noticed:

- Russia easily won the diplomatic war for Ukraine: while the Kremlin spoke with Kiev in the language of specific money, Brussels waved abstract ideas.

The summit began with good news for citizens of Moldova (which in Vilnius, together with Georgia, paraffets the Association Agreement with the EU): Commissioner Stefan Fules announced that Moldova would be offered a visa -free regime for the intersection of the Schengen space. And Georgian high -ranking officials explain to reporters that their country is easier to maintain the political and economic pressure of Russia, because its market is more than GIBOCA does not depend only on Moscow. At the same time, Tbilisi hopes that Russia will not close its market for Georgian goods, said Georgian Minister of Economics George Kvikashvili :

- What's new in Georgian politics? We announced the rejection of the previous warlike rhetoric against Russia. Now this will not happen. However, the pro -European vector of the movement of our country will remain unchanged, because it is the choice of the Georgian people.

Against the background of the summit, life in Vilnius goes on its own. Police officers who did not wait for the promised increase in salaries are striking. They do this in an original way, performing on the streets “Aria of slaves” from the opera “Nabukko”. The Christmas tree is already standing on the Cathedral Square. It rains heavy.