Tymoshenko now has the option to unite with opposition leader Yanukovych. This could give her increased political security because Yanukovych’s Party of the Regions has the largest parliamentary presence. If these two were to unite, they would form a strong alliance and could consolidate control of the assembly. Tymoshenko could also find this advantageous because of her increasingly pro-Moscow leanings. She has been slower to condemn Russia’s actions in Georgia than her counterpart, President Yushchenko. This may indicate her desire to secure Ukraine’s political future by moving closer to Russia, a stance long held by Yanukovych.

The current conflict in Georgia certainly brought the conflict between Tymoshenko and Yushchenko to a head. Yushchenko denounced Russia’s actions, particularly pointing to the presence of Russian military ships in Ukrainian territory on the Black Sea as unacceptable. Meanwhile Tymoshenko refused to comment on Russian aggression, claiming that it was not Ukraine’s concern. Tymoshenko’s silence indicates a desire to ally more closely with Russia and share Russian power. From this view, because Russian military power is the greatest in the region, Ukraine would be wise to ally itself with Russia rather than become its foe. Meanwhile Yushchenko’s stance shows his intention to assert Ukraine’s autonomy as a bid for control over its own territories and a degree of regional power.

The dissolution of the Orange Revolution coalition between Tymoshenko and Yushchenko resulted from increasingly different ideas of how Ukraine should gain security and power within the region. Tymoshenko’s pro-Moscow stance led her to engage in political maneuvering towards a possible coalition with Yanukovych, which would secure her position in the Ukrainian political scene.