NY Times: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed an order on Thursday to dissolve Parliament and hold snap elections, raising new uncertainties about Ukraine’s tilt toward the West at a moment when the country has become a focal point of rising tensions with Russia.
The move resulted from a worsening rift between Ukraine’s two top leaders, Mr. Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko, one-time allies who have become bitter rivals with differing visions of how Ukraine should handle relations with Russia and West.
The vote, scheduled for Dec. 7, will test Mr. Yushchenko’s drive to solidify ties with the United States and Europe and steer Ukraine, part of the former Soviet Union, toward membership in NATO, a step that would be likely to antagonize Russia.
Ms. Tymoshenko, who joined Mr. Yushchenko in leading the so-called Orange Revolution against the country’s pro-Moscow government in 2004, now represents a political faction that favors warmer ties with Russia.
Ukraine, how many times does history have to repeat itself? Why does it always come down to picking sides? Vik, Yulia, get your acts together, fast.
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