The second round of the presidential election in Ukraine was held on 7th February 2010. A week later, Viktor Yanukovych was declared President-elect with 48,95% of votes. Yulia Tymoshenko initially contested the results, but she finally withdrew her appeal on 20th February. The EU’s major objective, a fair and uncontested contest which would bring political stability to Ukraine, was thus more or less accomplished. The challenge now will be to build a constructive relationship with Yanukovych, who is very close to Medvedev and often described as pro-Russian, as opposed to pro-European. Although the new Ukrainian President has tried to reassure the EU on his aim to pursue closer ties with the West, Brussels is worried, especially on gas trade. As a result, the much awaited association agreement between the EU and Ukraine, could become even more complicated than expected.

Photo : EUROPA Audiovisual Servce/ Viktor Yanukovych