What's up with Ukraine?

Ukraine is a country near Russia that used to be a part of the Soviet Union. Although they are no longer a part of the Soviet Union, they are still heavily influenced by Russia. This is shown by the the pro-Russian cabinet of Ukraine's president, Viktor F. Yanukovych. Now, however, Ukraine wants to join the European Union or the EU, but there are those who are anti-EU supporters. This is the cause of the current revolution. Well, now that you have some background, let's get why it would be good for Ukraine to join the EU.

Ukraine is a poor country, currently in an economic crisis. It would benefit from joining the EU because they would get support from the other countries. For those who might not know what the EU is, watch this video, it might clear things up:

Ukraine is quite dependent on Russia, and that isn't doing so well if we look at their current situation. Ukraine can contribute a lot to the EU, since they have a lot of natural resources that can be put to use. A lot of the gas produced in Ukraine goes to Russia at the moment, but if this is exported elsewhere, a lot more of the money can be circulated within Ukraine.

However, President Yanukovych rejected the potent offer to join the EU opting instead to stay with Russia. Shocked? You should be. But he shouldn't be the only one to be blamed. Russia threatened to impose harsh sanctions on Ukraine should they join the EU. Since Russia is their main trade partner, this would cripple their already run down economy.  

The people of Ukraine have already ousted their prime minister and are now demanding President Yanukovych to step down. Joining the EU would set some guidlines on the government making the process more efficient and less corrupt. 

Credits: The situation in Ukraine was made known to me by a friend in Germany, she is also an author on the site: Empress of Serendipity. 

Any thoughts on whether Ukraine should join the EU or not?