Yushchenko Tells the EU, ‘Yes’

Pro-Russian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych’s cabinet was forced to meet in another building because of the protests by Yushchenko supporters. Yushchenko urged his supporters to blockade the government building in order to "prevent the first meeting of Yanukovych’s unofficial government." Parliament did not give Yanukovych a vote of confidence at the end of November, but Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma signed the proposal.

Silence prevails in the eastern regions of the country that supports Yanukovych. Observers say that if precautionary measures are not taken to end the current political process, which has even divided some families, it would lead to serious trouble in the future. Despite frustration in the east, Yanukovych and his team have no future because they lack a leader that can lead the masses into the streets, like Yushchenko was able to do. President-elect Victor Yushchenko, meanwhile, has announced that they are aiming for European Union (EU) membership in principal. Diplomatic circles point out that the Yushchenko administration will broaden the scope of the Partnership for Peace project, expand cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and then apply to join NATO and the EU.