The European Union and Ukraine on March 21 signed the political part of the Association Agreement. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said this day is a historical one for Ukraine. “It is a historical day for my country and we believe for the whole Europe too. We want to form part of the European family and this is the first important step taken by Ukraine towards achieving the objective of becoming an EU member state,” he stated.

The signing ceremony involved President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.

Last November, the then President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the Association Agreement. This decision generated a wave of protests that resulted in almost 100 deaths and in the removal of the Ukrainian government.