Ukraine faces difficult choices in the coming months, the outcome of which may determine not only the future of its natural gas supply, but also its political and economic alignment. Russia and Europe are battling for influence in the country, which remains politically and socially divided between pro-Russian and pro-Western elements. To the east, Moscow is trying to get Ukraine to join its Eurasian Customs Union, now made up of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, using the prospect of cheaper gas as a bargaining tool. To the west, the EU, which has been attempting to lure Ukraine out of Russia's orbit since the Soviet collapse in 1991 and is the country's biggest trade partner, has been holding talks on an association agreement.
展开▼
