By Greg Vega 
Tribune. Eight years ago, then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by his parliament and fled to Russia. The departure comes after more than a hundred protesters were killed when an order was issued to forcibly evict Independence Square in Kiev. The protesters had been meeting for three months following the Ukrainian government’s decision not to sign a joint agreement with the European Union (EU) and in favor of good relations with Russia. These young men died and some had the European flag in their hands because they wanted to be free to choose the future of their country. They felt European and sovereign. That is their only crime. Today, when Russia invades the entire territory of Ukraine, again Ukrainians will be killed for this crime.
From this “Dignity Revolution”Despite the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of the Donbass, the Ukrainians did not deviate from their European aspirations. On the contrary, every election has confirmed this desire to join the family of European democracies. According to a poll conducted by the Ukrainian Assessment Group on February 17, 2022, 68% of voters support joining the EU.
In 2015, the European Union ratified it “Ukraine’s European Aspirations” And welcomed “His European Option”. In 2017, the Ukrainian parliament, RADA, enacted legislation to create EU membership as one of the strategic objectives of Ukraine’s foreign and security policy. The law, which came into force in 2019, embodies this purpose in the country’s constitution, and thus, according to the then Speaker of Parliament, “Our European will is irreversible”.
A common goal
Ukraine cooperates with the EU within the framework of the Eastern Alliance and has already modified most of its legal and economic policies in accordance with the Association Agreement signed with the EU and came into force in 2017. However, unlike Serbia or Montenegro, access talks have not begun with Ukraine.
Unlike Albania and northern Macedonia, Ukraine is not officially recognized as a candidate for EU membership. A formal request must be made, but above all, most European countries have not officially confirmed their support for Ukraine’s future membership in the EU.
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