Mediaboss Marketing

MOSCOW (AP) An agreement struck by the U.S., the European Union, Russia and Ukraine has raised hopes for defusing the Ukrainian crisis, which has strained East-West ties to a degree unseen since the Cold War. The deal Thursday in Geneva came after the four parties held talks together for the first time since Ukraine's turmoil began nearly five months ago. A look at how the Ukrainian crisis has evolved:

___

HOW IT ALL STARTED

After years of preparation for a partnership agreement with the 28-nation EU, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych stepped back from the pact in late November in favor of pursuing closer ties with Russia.

The move sparked protests in Kiev, on the Ukrainian capital's main square, which grew to hundreds of thousands of people after a brutal police crackdown. The demonstrations were peaceful for weeks, but turned violent in mid-January after Yanukovych pushed through repressive laws aimed at stifling the protests. The violence culminated in February as about 100 people died from sniper fire in central Kiev.

Following the bloodshed, Yanukovych signed a Europe-brokered peace deal on Feb. 21, but fled the capital hours later as police withdrew and protesters took control of the city. He ended up sheltering in Russia.

___

RUSSIA'S GAME

Russia saw the proposed EU-Ukraine agreement as undercutting Moscow's clout in Ukraine. It offered a bailout package to Yanukovych after he rejected the EU deal, and accused the U.S. and the EU of masterminding the protests. President Vladimir Putin saw the collapse of the February peace deal as cynical maneuvering by the West.

Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine's strategic Crimea Peninsula, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based. The soldiers in unmarked uniforms, dubbed "little green men" by some, quickly overtook Crimea, blocking Ukrainian troops in their bases. Two weeks later, the region's residents overwhelmingly voted for joining Russia, and Moscow annexed Crimea last month.

See original here:
Ukraine Crisis: Turning Points