EuroMaidan Revolution
Steven Pifer: The US response to Ukraine’s turmoil
People prepare and serve soup at a camp set by opposition demonstrators on Independence Square in Kiev, on December 7, 2013. AFP PHOTO/ VASILY MAXIMOV
Ukraine has plunged into political turmoil following President Victor Yanukovych’s decision to delay signature of an association agreement with the European Union and the authorities’ use of force to break up a peaceful demonstration on November 30. The main players now are Mr. Yanukovych, opposition leaders and the many thousands of citizens on the street. The European Union and Russia are the outside players that can exercise the most influence, while the United States sits more in the background. That is understandable. And in the current situation, it may not be a bad place for Washington to be.
