Barroso tells Putin to abandon ‘Brezhnev doctrine' of limited sovereignty
On the occasion of the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk to Brussels, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned Moscow it was against Russia’s interest to confront with the West and that it was not too late “to engage positively”.
Barroso called his meeting with Yatsenyuk and his accompanying ministers "unprecendented" because it was the first time the European Commission was meeting with a foreign government that has an association agreement with the Union.
The EU and Ukraine only signed the so-called "political chapters" of the association agreement during a bilateral summit on 21 March. But it postponed the signature of a related free trade agreement in an attempt to “reassure” Moscow about the consequences of the pact for the Russian economy.
Brussels also wants to avoid giving too much political backing to the present government, which was hastily appointed by Parliament following the toppling of Viktor Yanukovich, and is not seen as fully representative of the country, especially the Russian-speaking east and south [read more].
http://www.euractiv.com/sections/europes-east/barroso-tells-putin-abandon-brezhnev-doctrine-limited-sovereignty-302111