Yanukovych's refusal to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union at the end of 2013 triggered a political crisis in Ukraine, with the opposition launching large-scale demonstrations calling for Yanukovych's stepping down and early general elections.
On Nov. 22, 2013, about 3,000 people gathered in Independence Square in downtown Kiev in the rain that day, waving EU flags and a number of slogans to protest against the government's abandonment of the Associated States agreement with the EU.
The agreement, which took years of negotiation, authorizes Ukraine to join a free trade area dominated by the EU and including non-euro countries such as Norway, and is a milestone in Ukraine's application for EU membership. The two sides initialed the agreement, which was scheduled to be formally signed on the occasion of the EU summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on the 29th.
The EU previously made Ukraine's release of former Prime Minister Tymoshenko one of the conditions for signing the association agreement. However, the Ukrainian parliament voted down again on 21 December a proposal to allow Tymoshenko to travel to Germany for medical treatment.
The pro-Western politician, who came to power in the "Orange Revolution" and is serving a prison sentence for abuse of power, issued a statement through his lawyers on 22 February, calling on the public to take to the streets to protest against the government's sudden change of stance on the issue of accession.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov on the 22nd for the government to give up the associated countries agreement to defend: this is "a difficult decision, but from the current domestic economic situation, this is the only feasible approach. The government's immediate financial constraints, to Russia to pay more than 17 billion U.S. dollars in gas costs, but also to the International Monetary Fund and other parties to repay the 3.7 billion U.S. dollars in debt.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with President Yanukovych on March 9 and made it clear that if the U.S. signs the associated countries agreement, it will "immediately lose a lot of Russia will limit the import of U.S. goods"; on the contrary, if the U.S. joins the Russian-led Customs Union, it will "immediately gain benefits, including gas price concessions."
Ukraine "Concord Capital" investment company released data show that in the first nine months of 2013, Ukraine's exports to the European Union amounted to 14.6 billion U.S. dollars, exports to Russia amounted to 21.1 billion U.S. dollars. 2013, since the beginning of the year, the Ukrainian-Russian trade volume has decreased dramatically, and the Ukrainian economy has suffered a severe blow as a result. Azarov said Ukraine cannot afford to lose trade with Russia.