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M. Continuo

Ukraine parliament ratifies landmark agreement with EU


    KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday ratified a landmark agreement on political association and trade with the European Union, the rejection of which last November by then President Viktor Yanukovich led to his downfall.

    The agreement, whose ratification was synchronised with that of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, won unanimous support from the 355 deputies who took part in the vote.

    Referring to the deaths of anti-government protesters who came out against Yanukovich's rejection of the pact with the EU and of soldiers killed in fighting separatists, President Petro Poroshenko said: "No nation has ever paid such a high price to become Europeans."

    (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing By Richard Balmforth; Editing by Hugh Lawson)