You never know quite what is going on in situations like this, but it could be interpreted that Europe is being held to ransom. “You want the Ukraine, you can have her but she comes with a few debts.” I spent a little time in the Ukraine, but it was about 30 years ago. Then it was part of the Soviet Union. It struck me then as having a distinctive cultural identity, and independence seems a natural evolutions for many post Soviet satellites. However, putting aside communism’s stated goals for a moment, it should be remembered that the “buffer zone” was a strategic response to what Russia saw as European expansionism. There may be a case to argue that those fears still linger.
