Ukrainian servicemen take part in a drill on Azov Sea on Jan. 20, 2019. On Feb. 13, a group of bipartisan U.S. senators from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced a bill to ramp up sanctions against Russia due to its alleged interference in U.S. elections and its "malign" activities in Ukraine and Syria.
Editor's Note : This assessment is part of a series of analyses supporting Stratfor's upcoming 2019 Second-Quarter Forecast. These assessments are designed to provide more context and in-depth analysis on key developments over the next quarter . Five years in, the standoff between Russia and the West shows no signs of abating. On Feb. 13, a group of bipartisan U.S. senators from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced a bill to ramp up sanctions against Russia due to its alleged interference in U.S. elections and its "malign" activities in Ukraine and Syria. In the meantime, reports have emerged that both the United States and European Union are close to passing a new set of sanctions against Russia over the showdown between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the Sea of Azov .
