Paul: The Ukrainian soap opera continues
Working on Ukraine is similar to watching a soap opera — a cast of colorful characters in dramatic story lines, with Kiev moving from one crisis-ridden moment to another. Indeed, Ukraine’s politicians are experts at keeping us on the edge of our seats. From an analyst’s point of view, this is fascinating. As for ordinary Ukrainians, they simply long for a boring, uneventful, stable state.
However, despite the endless political and economic turmoil, Ukraine remains an important country — Europe’s seventh most-populous country and a key gas transit state, it has wonderfully fertile soil and significant economic potential. It is a regional “backbone,” as the largest country between the EU and Russia, thus it is key for regional cohesion and stability. Ukraine’s strategic location and proximity to Russia’s breadbasket and economic heartland in the Volga region make the country key to Russia’s geopolitical strength. Russia allied with Ukraine gives Moscow confidence and strength, while a Russia without Ukraine is much weaker.