Protestors have swarmed the streets in Ukraine, asking for more of a connection to Europe, and seeking a drastic change in government. A vote took place on Tuesday, which would determine whether the government would be overthrown, however lawmakers were not able to get the necessary 226 votes. Following the vote, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov called for a peaceful resolution to the crises. “We are open to dialogue, we are ready to discuss with peaceful demonstrators all terms of our agreements,” he said to the parliament. He added that the government is wants to “continue the course to democratic transformation, to European integration. In this we are united with those honest demonstrators who came on the squares.”
Ukraine was once a part of Russia and the Soviet Union, and now with the chaos that has taken over the Ukrainian government, fears of intrusion by Russia are returning. Protestors have Russian President Vladimir Putin in their demonstrations, urging that ties with Russia be cut for good. However, Russia continues its goal of major international influence, and therefore it seems that Ukraine could be a definite target for Putin.
“For Vladimir Putin, his image of Russia is as a superpower, and a superpower has a sphere of influence,” said Steven Pifer, senior fellow at the Brooklings Institution and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. “He doesn’t want to rebuild the Soviet Union but he does want former Soviet states to pay heed to Russia’s main interests.”
