Is this as 'big a deal' as it sounds?

[ML]

 08 September 2013 | 03:19 | FOCUS News Agency Home / World Kiev. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych accused Russia in violating many of the bilateral agreements, during a meeting with the parliamentary group of the Party of Regions of Ukraine on September 4, and declared that he made the choice of his country’s future: signing an association agreement with the EU. According to sources of Ukrainian edition Zerkalo Nedeli, quoted by UNIAN agency, Mr Yanukovych announced that he started each morning with a prayer, in which he prayed to God to give him patience and resilience for the communication with their strategic neighbour.
 Complaining from the lack of fairness in the relations between Russia and Ukraine, having in mind the failure of Russia to fulfil the commitments it made and the violation of the bilateral relations in attempt to humiliate and suffocate Ukraine, Mr Yanukovych underlined that his relations with Kremlin and Gazprom were harming not only the Presidential institution, but the whole of Ukraine.
 Mr Yanukovych said that the his decision for a course towards EU integration was without alternative, having in mind the recent state of the relations between Russia and Ukraine.

[mendeleyev]

Yes, he is between a rock and a hard place.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20130830/183063798.html

[TS]

Elections are coming and this will have help keep him elected. 

[mendeleyev]

Even so he still has to walk a fine line due to the Eastern portion of the country, and the Crimean region, both areas that are very closely tied to Russia.

[southernX]

on our recent trip to both countrys this last summer , we had a  6 hour border crossing wait , 

seems customs where making it very slow and difficult to enter ukraine , this was supposedly a byproduct of these ongoing struggling negotiations between russia & ukraine with trade agreements and union memberships

i for one could see the significant  changes in ukraine over the last few years ,

im sure the election is a part of his thinking , however we might hope he can see the big picture of trading within the EU and  further in years ahead ,while STILL remaining close to russia 

SX

[Muzh]

Even so he still has to walk a fine line due to the Eastern portion of the country, and the Crimean region, both areas that are very closely tied to Russia.

The oligarchs controlling these regions are with him.

No problema.

[Steamer]

Politics, politics. Playing to his base while appealing to the rest. We have taught him well.