Ukraine has signed a political association agreement with the European Union, drawing the country closer to the West and away from Russia.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk signed the agreement on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, four months after the first protests that erupted in Kiev following then-President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to spurn an EU trade deal.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the agreement would bring Ukraine and its 46 million people closer to the heart of Europe and a "European way of life," Reuters reported.
The trade part of agreement won't be signed until after the Ukrainian presidential election in late May.
The trade deal would give Ukraine unrestricted access to the EU's market of 500 million consumers.
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