The Association Agreement that Yanukovych rejected last November – a decision that incited the popular protests that brought down his government – had been under negotiation since 2007. Essentially a free-trade treaty with additional political elements, its signing was postponed because of the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
欧盟与乌克兰之间的关系一直非常复杂。去年十一月被亚努科维奇拒绝的联合协定——当时这一决定曾引发导致其政府垮台的民众抗议——自2007年来就一直处在谈判的过程当中。该协定基本是融入了政治因素的自由贸易协定，该协定的签署因为乌克兰前总理尤利娅•季莫申科遭到监禁而被迫延后。最终亚努科维奇接受了俄罗斯的条件：俄罗斯天然气降价30%，并出资150亿美元作为违约保障。