EU and Ukrainian parliaments ratify deal on political and trade ties

epa04402533 (L-R) Italian members of the European Parliament (MEP) Gianluca Buonanno, Lorenzo Fontana and Matteo Salvini, of the Italian Lega Nord, wear protest t-shirts with the slogan ‘No Sanzioni alla Russia’ (No Sanctions on Russia) during the plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 16 September 2014. The parliaments of Ukraine and the European Union were set 16 September to ratify a landmark political and free trade deal, but some lawmakers expressed displeasure over a delay in the agreement. The political and trade deal ratified by parliaments in Ukraine and the European Union were the first step towards membership in the bloc, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. EPA/PATRICK SEEGER