Conflict May Affect NATO Expansion, Ukraine’s Stability
While Georgia has been the focus of Russia’s military action in recent days, Moscow’s willingness to send in tanks and troops also is resonating loudly 900 miles northwest of Tbilisi, in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The signal Russia is sending, analysts say, is that it will not tolerate any further NATO expansion into its backyard, and it will use the existence of Russian communities in former Soviet republics to retain its influence across the region.