European Union think tank said Monday that the bloc should make specific commitments to Ukraine after Russia sent troops into Georgia, according to Moscow Times.The European Council on Foreign Relations said the EU should respond to Russia`s Aug. 8 military incursion with "stronger engagement for democracy, prosperity and security in the broader region" but keep "tough measures toward Moscow on the table if Russia resists."
Relations with Ukraine, with which the EU holds a joint summit on Sept. 9, should be a key plank of such a strategy, the council said.
"The EU should ... make a special commitment to Ukraine," the think tank said in a policy brief.
"It should recognize the right to EU membership in future, agree to a more liberal visa regime, offer a solidarity clause backing Ukraine`s territorial integrity, and move to integrate Ukraine into the EU`s energy market."
Harsh actions against Russia would be counterproductive, the think tank said.
EU diplomats are considering the 27-nation bloc`s response to Russia`s assault on Georgia, which followed an attempt by Tbilisi to retake control of its separatist, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia.
