And to answer your question, there was not much choice to begin with.
Ukraine is an artificial state, built from incompatible regions, grabbed from other states (Russia, Poland, Hungary, Romania) each with its own dominating ethnic group, language and mindset.
Plus during its existence as a state, it existed as a part of USSR, with tight economic and industrial integration with the republics, mainly Russia and Belorussia.
This is actually a lie created by Russia's ruling monarchs in the 1700's. The part about Kiev region being a gift from Russian tsars in the 1600's is especially laughable, considering Kievan Rus/Ukraine had already existed independent of Russia for about 800 years by that point. Ukraine was Kievan Rus for centuries, while Moscow was part of the Golden Horde empire. It was only much much later that Moscow renamed itself Russia, to try to fit with Kievan Rus, and secretly wrote a whole bunch of made up history to male it seem as if Russia's origins came from Kievan Rus as well. Russia and it's history had nothing to do with Ukraine or Kief outside of it invading and occupying parts of Ukraine, most recently as part of USSR. Ukraine was always it's own country, though parts of it have been occupied by its neighboring countries, such as Tatar and Communist ruled Russia to the East, and Poland to the west. Some of the outskirts on the borders have been desputed though.
If anything, it's Russia that is a failing state, always ruled by totalitarian despots, in a perpetual state of emperialist expansion followed by inevitable collapse. Ukraine has existed for over 1,000 years, with idiots claiming that it's a failed state, or actually belongs to someone else constantly. But history is hard to change when contrary evidence keeps surviving.
