While analysts are trying to predict whether Ukraine will go East or West, the country is standing still. On August 14, 2013 Moscow made Ukraine’s choice easier by starting yet another trade war.

Still struggling to impose change from the top with the Association Agreement in Ukraine, the EU should complement it with reaching out to the Ukrainian population beyond the small group of pro-European NGOs.

The EU has the opportunity to forge a more effective policy in the Eastern Partnership region. Now it needs to harness the courage and vision to make a real difference.

A real discussion of the EU’s interests in Ukraine that moves beyond generalities may help member states avoid further frustrations and help the EU get more out of its relations with Kyiv.

Despite Viktor Yanukovych's promises of reform, an Association Agreement with the European Union has not gotten any closer.

Encouraging a multi-stakeholder dialogue and amplifying the voice of non-state actors acting in the public interest are key issues on which the Union should focus its assistance to the East.

Recent developments in Europe’s post-Soviet neighborhood, in countries like Georgia and Ukraine, have highlighted the region’s struggling efforts for democratization.

Ukraine is believed to be one step from joining the Eurasian Customs Union, and Ukrainians may be the only ones who can help stop this eastward slide.

Russia, Ukraine, and the EU’s other neighbors will have to learn that ultimatums are counter-productive and alienate the EU, forcing it to reject proposals coming from the east.

On the eighth anniversary of the Orange revolution, Olga Shumylo-Tapiola explains that awakening Ukrainian society is the key to putting the country back on the right path.