Ukrainian President Objects to Western Interference and Embraces Aid from Russia

Viktor Yanukovich

There have been protests going on in Ukraine:

December 19, 2013

Ukraine’s Russian-backed President, Viktor Yanukovych, has said he strongly opposes Western politicians intervening in the crisis in Ukraine.

He also suggested that Ukraine could adopt parts of Russia’s recently founded Customs Union with other former Soviet republics.

The opposition is furious after he accepted a Russian bailout, seen as a reward for rejecting EU integration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was defending the Russian economy.

“We just want to defend our gates,” he told journalists in Moscow, days after Russia gave Ukraine a $15bn (£9.2bn; 10.9bn euros) bailout and gas discount.

Ukraine, he said, was a fraternal state with close industrial ties to Russia. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25423808

December 19, 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s providing of a financial bailout for Ukraine was done out of “brotherly love,” not for any political gain or to tear Ukraine away from a proposed trade deal with the European Union.

Putin made the comment during an annual news conference after weeks of political turmoil in Ukraine sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych’s refusal to sign a trade pact with the EU.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said his country’s new bailout deal will allow Ukraine to revitalize its economy and avoid collapse. Meanwhile, pro-European Union demonstrations continued in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

According to the terms of the bailout, Putin has promised to reduce the price of natural gas exports to Ukraine by a third and lend the nation $15 billion. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-ukraine-aid-brotherly-love/1813471.html

While I believe that politics. more than ‘brotherly love’ was more of a motivation for Russia’s President Putin, I do believe that Ukraine’s President believes that the deal with Russia will not prevent Ukraine from having a possible future deal with the European Union. The EU has stated that despite what has happened recently in Ukraine, that Ukraine is still welcome to be considered for possible EU membership.

The Customs Union that was mentioned in the news article is supposed to turn into the Eurasian Union (see The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy)–and at some point in time Ukraine will need to more fully decide between the European Union and the Eurasian Union as currently one could not be a member state in both. The current Ukrainian leadership seems to want to have parts of the benefits of the Customs Union while also getting benefits from the European Union. This could be trickier than many realize.

Biblically (because of prophecies involving the Medes, some of which are in Ukraine, and some in the “north and east” in Daniel 11:44), it would seem that Russia would be close to Ukraine in the end. Yet it should also be mentioned that Bible prophecy indicates that there will be some type of cooperation between Russia and its allies and Europe for a while after the European Beast power has risen up (Revelation 13:3-4).

However, Bible prophecy shows that ultimately Russia and its allies (likely to include Ukraine at some point) will turn against the European Beast power–for biblical details, see Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future. Until then, we will see if Ukraine moves away from Russia and towards the EU which is what many protesters apparently want or if it will decide that it needs to move closer to Russia.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.