Ukraine Parliament Approves Pivotal Pact with European Union

The Ukrainian parliament ratified a controversial economic pact with the European Union on Tuesday in an effort to balance political pressure from all sides. The pack ties Ukraine closer to the West and grants it lower tariffs. The same pact pushed Ukraine into crisis last year. Street protests against the then-president Viktor Yanukovych broke out as he shelved the deal because Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't like it. But now, the new president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, said Ukraine "has embarked on the European path and nobody will dare to shut the door to the EU membership for Ukraine." The parliament of Ukraine also approved two bills to grant more autonomy to the more rebellious regions in the east as well as amnesty for people involved in the fighting.