Only four days after it was launched, a petition calling for sanctions against President Viktor Yanukovych and top members of his government has gathered more than 100,000 signatures online.
That means that the request may go to U.S. President Barack Obama for a possible response, but it doesn't mean that the American leader will necessarily take any of the actions sought -- a visa ban and a freeze on any bank accounts that Ukrainian leaders may have in America.
Any sanctions would be controversial and require support not only from the Obama administration, but also the U.S. Congress.
The petition drive was triggered by the government’s Nov. 21 decision to suspend its talks for European Union integration.
The petition reached topped the 100,000 mark on Nov. 30, a day after the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, ended. At the event, Yanukovych refused to sign a political association and trade agreement with the EU. The biannual event brought the European Union and representatives of six former Soviet republics: Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
The petition was started on Nov. 26 at whitehouse.gov.
It asks U.S. President Barack Obama to impose personal sanctions on Yanukovych and the Cabinet of Ministers. The petition needed to get 100,000 signatures by Dec. 26 in hopes of a White House response.
Anyone can sign petitions by registering on the White House site. Only the initials of the person signing are shown and, in case of American residents, their city and state of residence. The petition targeting Yanukovych was opened by a person with the initials “D.G.” on Nov. 26
Specifically, the petition says:
On the 21 November 2013 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted resolution to suspend the preparation process to conclude Association Agreement with European Union. We cannot accept the fact that President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and his government deny the right of the people of Ukraine to become closer to the Western civilization. We demand to impose personal sanctions on Mr Yanukovych and Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine members unless Mr Yanukovych signs the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement during Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on 29 November 2013: The sanctions should include but not be limited to:
– Ban to enter the U.S. and EU for Mr Yanukovych and Ukraine government members families.
– Freeze bank accounts of companies affiliated with them
Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at [email protected]
