What Now for EU-Ukraine Relations?

Ukraine’s decision not to sign the Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union should not have come as a surprise. Despite years of negotiations, seasoned observers of Ukrainian politics – with knowledge about the political psyche of President Yanukovych – have said it was always a bold assumption to expect the Ukrainian President to sign the Agreement when Russia was strong-arming him away from it. President Yanukovych is too weak to make an independent decision and he runs an economic policy that has enriched his own political tribe, but pushed the country to the brink of an economic collapse. In addition, the country is split on the overall orientation of the economy. A big part of President Yanukovych constituency favours closer ties with Russia – and accepts the view that there is a choice between Russia and the EU.