The crisis background of the Ukraine crisis

At the end of 2013, Yanukovych refused to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union, triggering a political crisis in Ukraine. The opposition launched large-scale demonstrations, demanding that Yanukovych step down and hold an early election.

On November 22, 2013, about 3,000 people gathered in Independence Square in the center of Kiev despite the rain that day, waving EU flags and some slogans to protest against the government's abandonment of signing the Association Agreement with the EU.

After years of negotiation, this agreement allows Ukraine to join a free trade area with the EU as the main body and including non-euro countries such as Norway. It is a milestone in Ukraine's application to join the EU. The two sides initialed the agreement and it was originally scheduled to be officially signed on the 29th when the EU Summit was held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

The EU previously made Ukraine's release of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko one of the conditions for signing the Association Agreement. However, the Ukrainian Parliament voted again on the 21st to reject the proposal to allow Tymoshenko to go to Germany for medical treatment.

This pro-Western politician who launched the "Orange Revolution" and came to power and was imprisoned for abuse of power issued a statement through his lawyer on the 22nd, calling on people to take to the streets to protest the government's sudden change on the issue of EU membership. position.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov defended the government's abandonment of the Association Agreement on the 22nd: This is "a difficult decision, but judging from the current domestic economic situation, this is the only feasible approach." The government is currently facing financial constraints. It has to pay more than 17 billion U.S. dollars in natural gas fees to Russia, and it also has to repay 3.7 billion U.S. dollars in debt to the International Monetary Fund and other parties.

When Russian President Putin met with Ukrainian President Yanukovych on March 9, he made it clear that if Ukraine signs the Association Agreement, it will "lose a lot immediately and Russia will restrict the import of Ukrainian goods"; on the contrary, if Ukraine will "immediately obtain benefits, including natural gas price concessions" by joining the Russian-led customs union.

Data released by Ukraine's "Concord Capital" investment company show that in the first nine months of 2013, Ukraine's exports to the EU were US$14.6 billion and exports to Russia were US$21.1 billion. Since the beginning of 2013, the trade volume between Ukraine and Russia has decreased significantly, and the Ukrainian economy has suffered heavy losses as a result. Azarov said Ukraine could not afford to lose trade with Russia.