Ukraine and the European Union: Day of the gangster pygmy | The Economist

Ukraine and the European Union: Day of the gangster pygmy | The Economist:

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HISTORY, as every schoolboy knows, is often shaped by the courage, zeal and evil of titanic leaders. Less famously, it is sometimes swayed by the venality and self-interest of pygmies. That is frequently the case in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and seemed this week to be the tawdry fate of Ukraine. Viktor Yanukovych, its president, decided against signing a trade deal with the European Union. In the process he appeared to hand victory to Vladimir Putin in a struggle with the EU over Ukraine’s geopolitical orientation. Yet for all the dismay he caused, this might prove a better outcome than it looks—if the Europeans stick to their guns."

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