Andrew Wilson, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, summed up Russias goal during the strife in one word: Sabotage. Steven Pifer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said Putin clings to the idea of Russia as a major global player – even as its influence has waned in certain areas. For Vladimir Putin, his image of Russia is as a superpower, and a superpower has a sphere of influence, Pifer said. He doesnt want to rebuild the Soviet Union, but he does want former Soviet states to pay heed to Russias main interests. If Ukraine became an EU member, it would move out of Moscows geopolitical orbit, he said, greatly reducing Russias influence. Such a move would add to the insult of the EU accession in 2004 of the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – all of which had been firmly within Russias sphere of influence. I think in Moscow, for the most part, they accept that the Baltic states are gone, Pifer said. They dont yet accept that with regards to Ukraine. Putin is also motivated by domestic political concerns, Pifer said. usatoday/story/news/world/2013/12/03/ukraine-protests-russia-europe/3857735/
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 03:28:33 +0000
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