Western supporters of the democratic transition in Ukraine are facing a dilemma. The government of Viktor Yanukovich is backtracking on democratic procedures – even putting on trial former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who lost the 2010 presidential election to Yanukovich. However, Yanukovich is also pursuing closer economic integration with the European Union. So what is in the best interests of the Ukrainian nation – to isolate Kyiv through international sanctions, or to continue the negotiations for Association status with Brussels?

I discuss the policy debate in this piece written with Iryna Solonenko and published in Open Democracy.