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Deal in Kiev

The Ukrainian president’s adamant attitude not only led to chaos and bloodshed, but also institutionalising a crisis that will take many more months to put the republic back to normalcy. The agreement that was signed with the opposition under the aegis of the European Union, one way or the other, is a political setback for Russia. This could have been avoided if the authorities in Kiev would have read the writing on the wall, and choreographed a political position, accordingly. The opposition’s original demand, which was to reinstate an economic treaty with the European Union, could not have snowballed into anti-government agitation, if Kiev would have rightly realised geo-economic realities.

The manner in which Yanukovych resorted to use of force incidentally led to his downfall, and now his administration is talking from a position of weakness. If reports are to be believed then since the deal has been struck, the presidential camp is deserted and the protesters are not now holding the sway. The deal which will see a unity government being formed immediately, and a joint committee of legislators working out a compromise formula to amend the constitution, leading to parliamentary and presidential elections is in need of minute monitoring. The ruling dispensation and the opposition will have to keep their cool and ensure that the wave of protests in the capital for the last three months comes to an end, and national life gets back to normalcy.

The onus is now on the opposition to make sure that the deal is implemented in its essence, and people from all political walks of life are taken on board. There is no doubt that there is a huge pro-Russian constituency in Ukraine, and the stakes are equally high for the opposition elements in carving out a share for themselves in a solution that is being guaranteed through an amended constitution. Though the deal literally promises to bring the standoff to an end, the people out on the streets of Kiev, and elsewhere, are apparently not happy with it. There seems to be some inherent dissent in the provisions of the compromise, and perhaps that is why Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Barack Obama in a telephone call that he wants to see the deal implemented. This hints at Moscow keeping its cards on and the six to eight months period wherein President Yanukovych will reign supreme will act as a deterrent for safeguarding Kremlin’s interests. What is required now is to bring an end to protest campaigns and rehabilitate people who suffered in the chilling winter of political dissent.