DISINFO: Western countries provoked a coup in Ukraine after the refusal to sign unfavourable Association Agreement
SUMMARY
The Association Agreement with the European Union was signed by Ukraine in 2014 after a coup provoked by Western countries because the current President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych did not sign the above-mentioned agreement due to unfavorable conditions for Ukraine.
It should be noted that after the signing of the Association Agreement, Ukraine failed to enter the European market, losing the markets of Russia and many post-Soviet countries.
RESPONSE
This is a longstanding pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine's Euromaidan protests depicting the 2013-14 revolution as a coup d'état, orchestrated by the Western countries, consistent with the recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on doomed Ukraine failing to survive without Russia and on Ukrainian economic relations with the European Union.
Ever since the 1970s, the EU has adopted an independent role in global affairs, an identity based on peace and stability and the rule of law, in addition to pursuing a foreign policy premised on achieving peace for the world. Supporting democracy worldwide is a priority for the European Union, and any allegations that protests around the world are incited and/or funded by Western states, such as colour revolutions in post-Soviet states, the Arab Spring revolts, Euromaidan in Ukraine, protests in Catalonia, is recurring disinformation presented without evidence.
There was no coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014; The demonstrations which began in Kyiv in November 2013 – called "Maidan", or "Euromaidan" – were a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych's last-minute U-turn when, after seven years of negotiation, he refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and halted progress towards Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU.
The demonstrations were not provoked from outside but a spontaneous gathering of different categories of the Ukrainian citizens: students, journalists, activists etc. Ukraine, being an independent country, guarantees its citizens the freedom of assembly which is directly mentioned in the Ukrainian constitution. Moreover, the right of people to protest is an obligation of the country, which Ukraine adheres to in accordance with international standards of human rights.
It was Russia that annexed Crimea and continues to destabilise Ukraine. From the outset, the EU has supported Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemning the clear violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces.
In June 2014, the EU and Ukraine signed an Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which promotes deeper political ties, stronger economic links and the respect for common values. Since 2014, the EU and Financial Institutions have mobilised more than €15 billion in grants and loans to support the reform process, with strong conditionality on continued progress. See here for more details about EU-Ukraine relations. Since 2016, there has been a steady increase in the export of more value-added products, such as machinery and appliances and transport equipment, while the number of companies exporting to the EU has increased from 11,700 companies in 2015 to more than 14,500 companies in 2019. The total trade turnout increased to 52.6 bln USD in 2019. During 2015-2019, Ukraine also increased its export to the EU from 13 bln USD to 24 bln USD. Overall in 2019, Ukrainian export to the EU increased by 3.9%. Now, the EU accounts for almost half of Ukrainian export. The EU remains a key trading partner of Ukraine with a share of 40.1%. See here for more details about EU-Ukraine trade relations.