Ukraine Ditches Plans for EU Deal, Turns to Russia.

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2. The EU wants a more open, transparent judiciary. Putin doesn't care; just wants Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin, who appears to view the contest for Ukraine as a zero-sum game between Russia and the west, has been tightening Russia's trade screws on Ukraine and the other countries, and the Moscow media are issuing daily warnings of the bleak future facing Ukraine should it risk a westward leap.

The main terms for a breakthrough concern what the EU calls an end to "selective justice" in Ukraine, meaning that the courts and the judiciary are manipulated for political and business reasons. The touchstone for these criteria is the fate of Tymoshenko, with Germany insisting she be allowed to leave the country, while others such as France and Poland argue that the prospects for such a geo-strategic shift in Russia's backyard should not be tied to the fate of a single individual.

Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovich, delivered an almighty snub to Europe on Thursday when his parliamentary supporters ditched legislation aimed at partly integrating the country with the EU.

"The future of EU-Ukraine relations remains very unclear," said Hannes Swoboda, leader of the social democrats in the European parliament. "The parliamentary decision raises profound doubts about how serious Ukraine's commitment to the EU really is. We deplore the pressure and blackmailing tactics that Russia has used against Ukraine and other countries. It is equally deplorable that Ukraine seems to have given in to this pressure."