EU keeps former Soviet countries at arm's length

"European aspirations", with no membership in sight

That was the big pre-summit suspense: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova wanted the final declaration to include a promise of EU membership talks in the future.

But the EU will take no new members in the years to come, especially not from Russia’s neighbourhood.

"The Eastern Partnership is not for enlargement, it is for rapprochement," said German chancellor Angela Merkel.

In the end the three countries made do wi...