Ukraine needs …. the restoration of those economic ties with Russia that clearly benefit the Ukrainian economy, at least until Ukraine develops stable alternative markets. …. a stop gap measure needed to stop the hemorrhaging of resources, manpower, and capital, and to win Ukraine time and breathing space for economic reform …. Nor do I see it as a matter of choosing the Eurasian Economic Union over the eu. For Ukraine, with its deep cultural ties to both Europe and Russia …. It is … a quintessentially false choice …. In order to unite the country, Ukrainian leaders must stop trying to pit one against the other, and instead embrace the idea of Ukraine becoming a conduit between these two huge markets. Ukraine should be the first to promote closer economic ties between the eu and eeu, because it stands to profit the most from such trade. Positioning itself as the vital link between the Eastern and Western halves of Europe would also be the best way to provide Ukraine with the leverage it needs to extract maximum benefits …. appreciating the benefits of such mutual dependency may be the best hope for long term peace and prosperity, not only between Russia and Ukraine, but in all of Europe.