Both can be completely correct:

1. I believe Ukrainians would rather be EU citizens and would rather be politically closer to the EU than Russia.

2. I believe the US and other nations have been yanking Putin's chain for various reasons.

There is no contradiction between the two.

Ukraine didn't "suddenly become the US's best buddy", you know. The country's been bitterly divided over whether to be pro-West (and largely pro-democracy by extension), or pro-Russian for more than two decades.

No, I didn't mean that.

More like trying to turn people who are life-long friends into blood enemies. It's an inherently same culture, similar language, mentality and drinking habits, same religion. If you look at the beginning of the rebel conflict, you'd see a great deal of resistance on both side to engage in active hostilities. On more than one occasion Ukrainian troops were talked into turning back. People don't want to fight, but they are being actively coalesced into it. There's no simmering feud, no age-long hatred, no real reasons for fighting except for high-level geopolitics, which is why I think that Ukraine's anti-president revolt didn't happen in isolation, but as a response to something that happened earlier, of which Snowden seems to be the simplest explanation.

So none of the former Eastern Bloc have ever wanted to, you know, have their sovereignty respected? Considering how Russia treats Ukraine (cutting off the country's gas supplies at a moment's notice), I'm hardly surprised a lot of the country is pro-EU.

We didn't have to convince most of the Eastern Bloc, they came running to us with open arms. Why would Ukraine be any different? Sure, some of them speak Russian, but that doesn't mean they want to be Russian.

I don't follow. You are assigning me some conclusions that I didn't make and then go on to disprove them.

You're saying we're trying to turn these "life-long friends into blood enemies", no? The Ukrainians are doing it themselves.

Also, to be fair, I'm not sure it's true Ukraine is "life-long friends". They've been dominated by Russia for centuries. Given the chance to be independent, I wonder if they'd take it.

Who are these "we" that you operate with?

The West.

I think it is pretty clear Ukraine was tired of being a puppet state of Russia. No conspiracy necessary. Actually it is kind of insulting to the Ukrainians who want EU style freedom.