The Ukraine Conflict

Moscow's military superiority in the region is restricting the alliance's support for Kiev to symbolic measures.

Kiev is building up its forces and warning that it could fight back in a new standoff, while Moscow is telling the West to stay out of the conflict.

Kiev wants to remind the world of the Kremlin's military aggressiveness and boost the pressure even more on Moscow. But domestic politics could also be playing a part in Ukraine's maritime foray.

From Eastern Europe to the Caucasus and Central Asia, the areas along Russia's periphery will be central to the battle for influence between Washington and Moscow.

The Russian branch has broken with church leaders in Istanbul after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.

Four years on, the ground battle in eastern Ukraine is showing no signs of abating. And now, a new theater may be opening: the Sea of Azov.

The Russian president is reportedly proposing a referendum for the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. A former Ukrainian official has called the proposal a "negotiating trap."

Though the two leaders are unlikely to make any breakthroughs at the meeting, they will have an opportunity to discuss crucial and contentious issues such as the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, sanctions, military buildups, and arms control.

Beyond questions of whether Russia’s recent elections were fair or if opposition candidates were allowed the opportunity to campaign in earnest, the interesting question for Stratfor analysts is what comes next. We discuss in the latest Stratfor Podcast.