Brussels, 11/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 11 December, the EU criticised the attack by police forces on the peaceful demonstrators in Kiev during the night of 10-11 December. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton is currently in Kiev and met Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition the previous day in order to attempt to mediate. A European Commission spokesperson, Olivier Bailly, warned that the EU will not be distracted or diverted in its efforts to implement a political dialogue.
Ashton, who has gone to Ukraine to help, was again due to talk to Yanukovych on 11 December, after a meeting that lasted over three hours the previous day. During this meeting, Yanukovych assured her that he was ready to engage in dialogue and he informed Ashton of his desire to sign an association agreement. Ashton called for the release of the people who had been arrested. She said that, after discussions with civil society representatives, the opposition and the former Ukrainian presidents, she had concluded that the police action the night before made the start of political dialogue more difficult than before. She added that she was going to try to explore all possible routes to ensure that a truly peaceful solution is always within arm's reach, and said that this would necessitate a great deal of political courage and determination.
Earlier, Ashton noted with sadness that the police had used force to expel peaceful people from the centre of Kiev and she said that she was deeply concerned by the police anti-riot action. She stated that the authorities did not need to act under the cover of night in order to engage with society using force. She added that dialogue with political forces and society and the use of arguments is always better than the use of force and violence - which cannot be the answer to peaceful demonstrations. Ashton called for the greatest restraint, and many foreign affairs ministers have also condemned the police intervention.
Ashton said she was impressed by the determination of the demonstrators supporting Ukraine's European perspective.
Arbuzov-Füle meeting on Thursday. Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov will meet Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle in Brussels on Thursday afternoon to discuss issues relating to the signature and implementation of the EU-Ukraine association agreement, according to Füle's spokesperson.
EU refuses financial tug of war. The EU rejected the request from Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov for aid of €20 billion to sign the association agreement. Bailly stated that the EU is not going to play with figures and that Ukraine's prosperity cannot be subjected to a call for tenders or the best bidder winning the prize. (CG/transl.fl)