Though Putin is undoubtedly the main actor driving this strategy, Ukraine's pursuit of closer ties with the European Union – a move that Europe and the United States generally welcomed – was bound to accelerate it. Putin knew that he could take advantage of Ukraine's ethno-religious division (the eastern regions are overwhelmingly Russian Orthodox and loyal to the Kremlin) to undermine these efforts.
虽然普京无疑是推动上述战略的主要力量，但乌克兰寻求与欧盟建立更亲密的关系——此举总体受到欧洲和美国的欢迎——注定要加速俄国的复仇步伐。普京知道他可以利用乌克兰的民族宗教分裂（东部地区绝大多数是忠于克里姆林宫的俄罗斯东正教人士）来破坏上述努力。现在看来，欧洲似乎对俄罗斯在乌克兰捍卫所谓核心利益的决心估计不足。