Ukraine

Russia strongly opposes any movement of NATO into what the Kremlin calls the former-Soviet space. Ukraine has sought to free itself of Russia’s influence, integrate into the West and join NATO. There have been disputes between Russia and Ukraine over natural gas prices in 2005 and 2008.

Uzbekistan

Russia is by far Uzbekistan’s closest trade partner, with trade turnover totaling roughly $4 billion in 2007. Moscow, in addition, has pledged to invest more than $2 billion in the Uzbek economy in the coming years. Uzbekistan, from Tashkent’s perspective, is in retrograde. Tashkent made a number of provocative steps against Moscow, from granting hydrocarbon contracts to Russian companies’ rivals to shunning Russian officials and making decisions without consultations with the Kremlin. Russia has attempted to offer Tashkent incentives to remain loyal to the Kremlin’s geopolitical agenda.