(9 Sep 2008)
1. Wide of courtyard of Elysee Palace
2. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner walking into Elysee Palace
3. President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso walking into Elysee Palace
4. European foreign policy chief Javier Solana arriving and entering Elysee palace
5. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner walking into Elysee Palace
6. Cutaway French and EU flags
7. Sarkozy, Barroso and Solana waiting
8. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko arriving, welcomed by Sarkozy, Barroso and Solana, posing for photographs
9. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko walk into meeting room with their delegations, sit at table
10. Sarkozy sitting with EU delegation
11. Yushchenko sitting with his delegation
12. Wide of table
13. Medium of Sarkozy
STORYLINE:
The European Union planned to tighten its ties with Ukraine, but not offer it EU membership, at a summit on Tuesday set against a political power struggle inside the former Soviet republic and the aftermath of the Russia-Georgia war.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in his role as rotating president of the 27-member bloc, welcomed President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine for talks in Paris.
Sarkozy, fresh off a whirlwind trip aimed at defusing tensions between Russia and Georgia, got home early on Tuesday and had the location of the long-planned summit with Ukraine moved from the Alpine resort of Evian.
EU members have been divided over how much to cosy up to Ukraine, which has long been seen as in Russia's sphere of influence and which has a substantial ethnic Russian minority.
European diplomats say Sweden, Britain and newer bloc entrants in eastern Europe want to deepen ties with Ukraine, while the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Spain have been among the more reticent.
The EU wants more signs that Ukraine is cracking down on corruption.
The country is riven by political tensions between Yushchenko and his fiery prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, even though both are seen as West-minded.
Since defeating Georgia in a brief war last month, Russia also has shown it is a power to be reckoned with, especially regarding former Soviet republics that were pro-Western and that sought membership in alliances such as the EU and NATO.
The summit, also attended by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, will consider cooperation in areas such as energy, trade, security and environment.
It also will launch work toward an "association accord" with three main objectives: speeding up the EU visa-granting process for Ukrainians, pointing out that future ties remain "open" between Ukraine and the bloc, and insisting that Ukraine shares a common history and values with Europe.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the accord negotiations made unexpectedly strong progress in the last year and that the talks on visas were a "genuine" sign of the EU's commitment to deeper ties with Ukraine.
The accord isn't likely to be signed until next year at the earliest.
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