Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are of particular importance for the European Union, but their dynamic domestic policy has become a serious problem to the efforts for accession to the EU and in this context, their integration into the bloc is becoming increasingly unlikely, says a Stratfor analysis, quoted by Ukrainian portal Tyzhden.

Russia's position in Eurasia will improve in the coming year as the United States transitions to a new administration and the European Union faces growing institutional challenges.

Still, Moscow will not have free reign in Eurasia, and its standoff with the West will endure and evolve in 2017.

These are the key conclusions made by Stratfor, the US-based geopolitical intelligence company, which analyzed the prospects of West-Russia relations for the upcoming year 2017.

Given the upheaval in the European Union, the bloc will be hesitant to move forward with proceedings to accede new members in 2017. As their prospects for integration with the European Union and NATO stall and perhaps fall apart in the coming year, countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia will re-evaluate their relationship with Russia, Stratfor says.

Analysts remind that in its recent presidential vote Moldova elected Igor Dodon, a candidate who has pledged to increase ties to Moscow and review the country's EU integration efforts. Though Ukraine and Georgia are unlikely to follow suit, they may well take a more pragmatic approach to Russia, increasing trade ties to the country and compromising over the status of their breakaway territories.

Source: Ukraine Today