Topic: Meanwhile in Ukraine... Revolution. - page 66. (Read 227070 times)

And those 5 bills the US and EU spent in 25 years were a problem .

During the past 4 years, Russia spent almost $40 billion in gas subsidies and other grants to the Ukrainian state, without getting anything in return. May be it is time for the EU now to take lead to subsidize the non-productive industries of Ukraine. The EU leaders such as Merkel and Hollande knows about the cost involved, and that is why they are not very keen to join the US in its proxy war. It is the US which is pushing the EU on this issue. All Obama care is to get new military bases in Eastern Ukraine, so that he could station his missiles there.

Why not ask Ukrainians, then? The first demand they put forth was a referendum. Russia didn't ask for their integration. Ukraine has much larger trading volume with Russia, than with Ukraine. Russia offered condition-free monetary help and gas subsidies, Europe - promises of loans and austerity for a population that already lives at the brink of or below poverty level. In any case, this is a moot point. Russia proposed to EU an three-way cooperation agreement that would benefit EU and protect Russian and Ukrainian trade interests. EU refused. The whole EU debate was just a smoke screen for what followed.

In an economical prospective, it might be better for Ukraine if it joins the Russian-led customs union.

That's the way the USSR worked. Russia and Ukraine together accounted for more than 90% of the total population (and 99% of the productive population). Russia had infinite natural resources, which were shipped to the factories in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian manpower produced world class engineering products. At that time, both Russia and Ukraine were inter-dependent on each other. Russia bartered its oil, gas, timber and mineral ores for food grains and meat produced in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldovia. Now Russia is a net importer of food, while Ukraine is heavily dependent on oil and gas imports.

The reason why the USSR disintegrated is because the unproductive population (mostly Muslims in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan) increased much faster as compared to the productive population. However, if Russia and Ukraine creates an union state which excludes parasites such as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the people on both sides would benefit from it. 

If Ukraine joins the EU, the government will be forced to take up austerity measures. This can include reducing the subsidies and pensions. It will adversely affect the lower middle class and the poor. However, the elite and the urban middle class will gain from new business opportunities. Also, the Ukrainian factories will be forced to adhere to the European standards, which would require new investment worth some $200 billion. No one is having that much money there. So there is a possibility that if Ukraine joins the EU, the Arabs and the Chinese will buy up 90% of Ukraine.