Russia's goal in Ukraine remains the same: To keep NATO out

Dmitri Trenin, Al Jazeera America (USA)
The key to anticipating Russia’s next moves in Ukraine is to understand that its policy has been driven by geopolitical considerations that have nothing to do with Russian expansionism or imperial nostalgia, and only little with the need to win domestic political support for President Vladimir Putin. Essentially, the Kremlin has been reacting to the threat of post-Maidan Ukraine joining NATO.