Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has been divided between the West and Russiawhich in recent years did not stop expressing its opposition to the former Soviet republic approaching the European Union (EU).
Independence
On December 1, 1991, a country still integrated into the Soviet Union (which was dissolved on December 25, 1991), Ukraine votes in a referendum in favor of independence, immediately recognized by Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
On December 8, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus sign an agreement establishing a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
However, for the next five years, Ukraine will try to free itself from the political tutelage of its great neighbor, which began three centuries ago.
Ukraine is not fully committed to the CIS, perceived as a structure dominated by Russia, which is trying to add the former Soviet republics.
On December 5, 1994, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the United States and the United Kingdom sign the Budapest Memorandum on security guarantees.
The signatories undertake to respect the independence, sovereignty and borders of Ukraine in exchange for the abandonment of the atomic weapons that it had inherited from the Soviet Union.
friendship treaty
On May 31, 1997, Russia and Ukraine sign a friendship and cooperation treaty, which does not, however, clear up the ambiguity of Kiev’s relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The Kremlin is strongly opposed to Ukraine or any other former Soviet republic joining the Atlantic Alliance.
The treaty and the annexed texts resolve in particular the thorny dispute over the distribution of the former Soviet fleet in the Black Sea, anchored in Sevastopol in Crimea.
Russia retains ownership of most of the ships, but will pay Ukraine a modest rent for the use of the Sevastopol port.
Russia, then Kiev’s main trading partner, will however retain its “economic weapon” against Ukraine, heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas.
In 2003, Kiev signs an agreement on the creation of a Common Economic Space with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The European Union (EU) reacts by saying that the agreement may hinder Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU and its integration into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
A pro-Western president in Kiev
In November 2004, the pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych wins the presidential election in Ukraine, which the opposition denounces as fraudulent.
A massive mobilization, the so-called Orange Revolution, achieves that the election is annulled by the Supreme Court.
On December 26, the leader of the Orange Revolution, the pro-Western opponent Viktor Yúshchenko, who had suffered a mysterious poisoning during the campaign, opens a new political era in Ukraine by ending the ten-year presidency of Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005). ), which zigzagged between the EU and Moscow.
Yushchenko reiterates Ukraine’s willingness to join the EU, despite objections from Brussels and NATO.
In 2008, at the Burcharest summit, the leaders of the NATO countries agree that Ukraine has a vocation to join the Atlantic Alliance, provoking the wrath of Russia.
Russia and Ukraine wage several political-commercial wars, including the gas war from 2006 to 2009, which disrupts Europe’s energy supply.
Maidan uprising
In 2010, Viktor Yanukovych is elected president and launches a spectacular policy of rapprochement with Russia, but assures that the elaboration of an “association agreement” with the EU remains the priority.
However, in November 2013, Yanukovych refused at the last minute to sign the agreement with the EU and reactivated economic relations with Russia.
This change in policy unleashes a pro-European protest movement whose symbol is the demonstration in the Maidan Square (Independence Square) in Kiev.
The rebellion ends in February 2014 with Yanukovych’s dismissal and flight to Russia after the repression of the Maidan demonstration, in which a hundred demonstrators and 20 policemen died.
Annexation and war
In response, Russian special forces take control of Crimea, which Russia decides to annex in March 2014.
In April 2014, Russian separatists seize major sites in Donbas, the Russian-speaking region in eastern Ukraine, sparking a war in May.
Since 2014, the conflict has killed 14,000 people.
Kiev and Western countries say Russia organized the breakup of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in retaliation for Ukraine’s pro-Western turn.
“military operation”
After concentrating tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian borders, on February 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin recognizes the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk and orders the deployment of troops in their territories.
In the early hours of February 24, Putin announces a “military operation” in Ukraine, which the Ukrainian Foreign Minister describes as a large-scale invasion.
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
