Sergiy Solodkyy, Director of the New Europe Center, spoke to The Kyiv Independent about Ukraine’s growing engagement with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, and other countries that have long maintained close ties with Russia.

Over the past few months, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made wartime visits to all three countries. Economically and geopolitically weakened by its war against Ukraine, Russia has fewer resources and less political capital to sustain its traditional sphere of influence.

Combined with tensions in Moscow’s bilateral relations and the pragmatic balancing pursued by Belgrade, Yerevan, and Baku, this creates an opening for Kyiv – whether to secure weapons, expand trade, strengthen political dialogue, or challenge Russia diplomatically.

“Each of these countries may have its own motivations, while Ukraine may pursue a different objective in each case”, Sergiy Solodkyy said. “Nevertheless, one common trend can clearly be identified: the weakening of Russian influence and, in some cases, the emergence of serious tensions between Moscow and its traditional partners”.

Countries that were once under Moscow’s rule have an additional reason to reconsider their relations with Russia: “They understand that the outcome of the war will also shape their future: a Ukrainian victory would give them greater room to pursue independent foreign policies”, Sergiy Solodkyy told The Kyiv Independent.

Read the full article via the link here.