![]() Internal politics remain more fragmented than ever. Ukraine is united-but so far against Russia. But based on lessons learned from the Orange Revolution, it would be wise not only to trust but verify. After the Maidan, most Western officials expect that Kyiv will want to implement the agreement. The challenges are tremendous: those speaking of "irreversible choice" should mind Ukraine's horrendous track record of honoring agreements. Jarábik was a nonresident scholar focusing on Eastern and Central Europe with particular focus on Ukraine. ![]() But exactly due to the change making the association agreement more sober, assessment of the huge and technically complicated agenda is needed, along with a greater capacity to mobilize and support its implementation than was originally foreseen. Ukraine is certainly a different country compared to seven months ago. The local context should be taken much more seriously into account after Ukraine signed the Association Agreement with the EU on June 27. The roads were built by Turkish or Macedonian sub-contractors, while Ukrainian contractors pocketed the rent. The story, however, has a flip side: the tremendous costs. As a symbolic prelude toward the association agreement with the European Union, the roads from Kyiv to the Western borders were re-built and are now in the best quality. The change came with the 2012 European football championship. After independence, Kyiv was investing in connections from East to South (Odessa, Crimea) leaving the roads to the West in catastrophic conditions. Nothing can be more symbolic of Ukraine's bumpy transition than the notorious conditions of the country's roads. ![]()
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