Why Ukraine matters so much to Russia’s Putin
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For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Ukraine is much more than NATO’s potential expansion eastward. The fall of the Soviet Union was a huge setback for Moscow and its influence, and the loss of Ukraine was particularly tough pill to swallow. Thus far, Ukraine has largely rejected Putin’s attempts to bring the former Soviet republic back into Russia’s orbit, despite his view that they share a “single historic and spiritual space”. Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith explains why Ukraine matters so much to Putin. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/ #Russia #Ukraine