EU completes association deal with Ukraine

The European Union has completed an association deal with Ukraine which should boost trade between the two and keep the eastern European nation firmly linked to the EU.

After a long ratification process held up by a referendum in the Netherlands, the 28-nation EU said Tuesday the economic and political agreement should kick in on Sept. 1. The agreement comes on the eve of an EU-Ukraine summit in Kiev.

Ukraine was torn for years whether to align itself with Russia or the EU, but a fundamental change came when Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimea peninsula three years ago. Fighting has continued in eastern Ukraine since then between Russian-based separatists and government forces.