Ukraine commands a lot of geostrategic significance and this is the reason for the cockpit rivalry and competition currently going on between Russia and the West. The country was the second most important country after Russia during the USSR years.
Geography
Ukraine is one of the largest countries in the world. Its size of 603,550sq km is 46th in global comparison. In European terms, it is the second biggest country in Europe after Russia. In fact it is 15% bigger than France which is the third largest country in Europe.
Ukraine borders the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. This prime location allow the country to play major role in Eastern and Central Europe.
Ukraine's strategic location between the main energy producers (Russia and the Caspian Sea area) and consumers in the Eurasian region, its large transit network, and its available underground gas storage capacities make the country a potentially crucial player in European energy transit - a position that will grow as Western European demands for Russian and Caspian gas and oil continue to increase.
Ukraine shares 1,576km long border with Russia in the east making her a strategic country especially for US and her western allies who want to prevent Russia from expanding her influence westwards. From a purely strategic standpoint, Ukraine is Russia's soft underbelly. Dominated by Russia, Ukraine anchors Russian power in the Carpathians. These mountains are not impossible to penetrate, but they can't be penetrated easily. If Ukraine is under the influence or control of a Western power, Russia's (and Belarus') southern flank is wide open along an arc running from the Polish border east almost to Volgograd then south to the Sea of Azov, a distance of more than 1,000 miles, more than 700 of which lie along Russia proper. There are few natural barriers.
>READ MORE: Ukraine: On the Edge of Empires
Eurasia or Europe?
Putin's effort to create the Eurasian Union (EAU) - an economic union to rival that of the EU with Ukraine as a key member has suffered a major setback. Ukraine membership to the EAU would have given the union the boost it needed. However with Ukraine now tilting towards EU, the EAU would definitely struggle to remain as buoyant as it could be.
The US is trying to prevent Russia from recreating a new version of the Soviet Union under the ruse of economic integration, according to Hillary Clinton.
" There is a move to re-Sovietise the region...It's going to be called a Customs Union, it will be called Eurasian Union and all of that. But let's make no mistake about it. We know what the goal is and we are trying to figure out effective ways to slow down or prevent it. " Hillary Clinton said back in 2012." The Eurasian Union is a very important project for Putin. Without Ukraine, he will lose all enthusiasm for it... Without Ukraine, Putin's project is impossible " said Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin spin doctor who has also worked in Ukraine.>WATCH: Russia and the US spar over the Eurasian Union
Economic Interests - It's not just Russia!
Currently its population of more than 44.6 million is one of the biggest in Europe and an important source of market for both EU and Russian made goods.
Economically Ukraine is a major manufacturer of ballistic missiles, large transport planes and launch pads for space carriers. In this sense it is a major player in the field of weapons systems. Ukraine is also a major producer and exporter of steel, a product vital to the global economy particularly for ship building and the auto industry.
Ukraine is a major agricultural hub. Its flat plains, plateaus and fertile black soil (considered the best in Europe) are good for food production and animal husbandry. In fact the country could be the breadbasket of Europe if its agricultural potential is fully exploited.
Ukraine is also believed the have the 3rd largest natural gas deposits in Europe. It has some of the best offshore hydrocarbon deposits in the Black Sea, as well as large deposits in the East and West of the country. Both Western and Russian corporations expressed interest in developing these reserves.
Ukrainian port cities are important in both economic and military sense. The ports of Odessa and Sevastopol provide both military and commercial access for exports, particularly from southern Russia.
>READ MORE
Pipelines & Energy, Stupid!
Ukraine is a major transit point for oil and gas coming from Russia and Central Asia to the EU, as well as an important consumer for Russia.
Of course, to anyone familiar with geopolitics, it should come as no surprise that hydrocarbons play a massive role. Pipelines from Russia supply most of Eastern Europe with natural gas through Ukraine, In 2004 for example more than 80% of Russian gas exported to Europe came through Ukrainian pipelines. Control of Ukraine represents control of these pipelines, which is significant power.
Russia has, in the past, used influence over these pipelines for political purposes, such as in 2009 ( Russia Cuts Gas, and Europe Shivers ). Thus, control of Ukraine should also be seen as control of natural gas flow.
The interests of both parties should be fairly self evident. Russia wants to retain control of these vital pipelines & Ukraine's energy dependence, while the U.S. wants to promote a more pluralistic system, move Ukraine away from Russian energy dependence and end Russia's monopolistic position. This is exactly what this NATO publication outlines:" Ukraine is increasingly perceived to be critically situated in the emerging battle to dominate energy transport corridors linking the oil and natural gas reserves of the Caspian basin to European markets... Considerable competition has already emerged over the construction of pipelines. Whether Ukraine will provide alternative routes helping to diversify access, as the West would prefer, or 'find itself forced to play the role of a Russian subsidiary,' remains to be seen. "
Ukraine's overwhelming dependence on Russian energy imports, however, has had negative implications for US strategy in the region, in particular the strategy of:
" ... supporting multiple pipeline routes on the East-West axis as a way of helping promote a more pluralistic system in the region as an alternative to continued Russian hegemony. "
The Russian government policy planning papers leaked by the Russian independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper also emphasized Russia's energy interests in Ukraine. The policy papers that have allegedly been shared with the Kremlin ahead of Crimea's annexation, argued that in light of the changing political situation in Ukraine, Russia could not risk " losing not only Ukrainian market for energy sales but more importantly indirect control over gas transportation system of Ukraine. This will put under the risk Gazprom's positions in Central and Southern Europe causing great damage to the national economy. "
It should be noted that Crimea's large onshore and offshore hydrocarbon deposits played a key part in Ukraine's energy independence strategy. It is also a critical pipeline route for sending energy to Europe , a commercial and a strategic requirement for Russia, since energy has become a primary lever for influencing and controlling other countries, including Ukraine.
Final Thoughts
The Ukrainian opposition victory is a nightmare for Russia and particularly President Valdimir Putin. In fact the fall of the Viktor Yanukovych regime is a major strategic defeat for Putin, and a triumph for the West (US and EU). The victory chalked by the opposition will materialize what Putin has feared all along, i.e. that first Ukraine will tilt to the West, second will be admitted into the EU, and third into NATO. Though member ship to the EU and NATO is a long process, the strategic implications are that a tilt to the West will not only contain Russia's ambitions to expand its sphere of influence westwards but will nearly complete the West's encirclement of Russia.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/236487-one-year-since-crimeas-annexation-russias-interests-in
http://www.modernghana.com/news/526204/50/the-strategic-importance-of-ukraine-and-why-both-r.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stratfor/2014/06/24/the-united-states-has-unfinished-business-in-ukraine-and-iraq/
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