Its primarily a thumb in your eyes to Russia.
But even the opposition understands that the West is not going to help Ukraine cover losses from whatever sanctions Russia might impose.
Ukraine has little choice but to join the Russian-led customs union because its economic survival and geography make closeness to Russia imperative.
The West is not going to prop up Ukraine any more than it came to the aid of the Hungarians in 1956 or the Czechs in 1968. Ukraine is on its own. There is better truth in the notion the EU wants the kind of partnership in which it will not really stand behind Ukraine.
That much is already clear.
Very well stated. Nevertheless, EU, and particularly Germany and France need markets for their products and will make investments in the Ukraine just as they have made them in other East European countries. There’s a lot of freebies that come to underdeveloped countries with EU membership.