European Parliament ratifies Ukraine association pact
Petro Poroshenko - Live transmission to EP from Kiev
(STRASBOURG) - The European parliament overwhelmingly voted Tuesday to ratify a landmark association pact with Ukraine, in a video-link with lawmakers in Kiev who approved the deal at the same time.
"This is a historic moment," European parliament president Martin Schulz told the assembly in Strasbourg, as legislators voted to ratify the pact by 535 votes with 127 votes against and 35 abstentions.
"Two parliaments doing this at the same time by agreement -- that is free democracy, that is free self-determination, that's the opposite of directed democracy," Schulz added.
Schulz said the ratification of the deal was "for the dreams of the people who fought for democracy" in Ukraine.
The rejection of the same deal by Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych in November triggered pro-EU protests that led to his toppling in February and triggered Russia's seizure of Crimea and the separatist uprising in Ukraine's east.
But the EU and Ukraine last week bowed to Russian pressure and delayed the free trade section of the association pact until 2016.
Among those voting against the pact was British eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who told the parliament that "if you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don't be surprised when he reacts", and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was on the West's side against Islamic extremism.
What is the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement?
Further information, European Parliament