The standoff between Russia and the West shows no signs of dissipating anytime soon. Tensions have flared between the United States and Russia in recent weeks. Moscow, for example, pulled out of a deconfliction agreement with Washington in Syria and prepared counter-sanctions against the United States. The European Union voted June 22 to extend its sanctions on Russia for six months. Washington, meanwhile, expanded its restrictions on Russian individuals and entities connected with Crimea and eastern Ukraine. And Congress is considering even harsher sanctions against Russia as investigations into the Kremlin's meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections get underway. The mutual enmity is likely to persist and perhaps even intensify in the coming months. As it does, competition between Moscow and the West could heat up in the European borderlands. From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, three potential flashpoints bear watching....
