Amanda Proscia
Ukraine supporters hope election leads to EU
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By AMANDA PROSCIA
Capital News Service
LANSING — The victory of pro-European parties in the recent election in Ukraine is inspiring hope among Michigan’s Ukrainian residents that the country will eventually become a member of the European Union. The Communist Party won’t have a seat in the new parliament for the first time since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. “The results are a strong statement,” said Vera Andrushkiw of Troy and vice president of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Although Andrushkiw said she’s pleased with the election outcome, she fears Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reaction in eastern Ukraine. Her major worry is Russian troops invading Ukraine’s port of Mariupol, which would provide easier transit to Russian-occupied Crimea, Andrushkiw said. She said that she hopes the major world powers will be more eager to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia now that the election results demonstrate a pro-European attitude among the public.