This map shows why the Russia-NATO confrontation will continue even with a Ukraine ceasefire
The war in eastern Ukraine is in a state of cease-fire after a deal reached in Minsk on February 12. But if the last ceasefire is any indication, this halt in hostilities won't spell the end of the most severe geopolitical crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.
The last attempt at a halt in fighting quickly fell apart, and the period of the cease-fire included a major battle over the Donestk airport and the shelling of the strategic city of Mariupol. In the economic and diplomatic realm, the US and EU are continuing to impose sanctions on Moscow, which has continued its aggressive policies in Ukraine despite the ruble's recent cratering in value.
Yet eastern Ukraine is just one hotspot along a larger, continent-wide fault line. The border between Russia and NATO-allied Europe is dotted with pockets of instability including several separatist regions that Moscow and its allies support. The fact that Russia and the NATO states possess all but around 550 of the world's estimated 17,100 nuclear weapons only raises the stakes.
This map depicts the larger confrontation between Russia and NATO and Europe's return to Cold War power dynamics.
