“Although Ukraine is high on his political agenda, Putin seems to get it all wrong. His latest mistake is to toy with a trade war,” writes Åslund
Expert also adds that “Yanukovych has put the Ukrainian economy in a miserable state. It has been in recession for the last year, and its international reserves are in quick decline, having fallen from a peak of $38 billion two years ago to $22.7 billion at present, covering only 2 1/2 months of imports. Neither the International Monetary Fund nor the EU is prepared to help Ukraine, given Yanukovych's poor economic and human rights policies.
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Putin's actions suggest that he is intent on forcing Yanukovych down on his knees. But Putin is more likely to isolate Russia and force Ukraine into the European community.”
