Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
John McLaughlin: What can we expect next from Vladimir Putin?
Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks while marking the Hermitage's 250th anniversary at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg on December 8, 2014.
It's been almost a year since trouble began in Ukraine. It all started with protests against a decision the government made under pressure from Moscow to abandon a trade agreement with the European Union. Since then, the Ukrainian government has turned over, Russia has reclaimed Crimea, and the conflict it sparked by invading Ukraine's east has settled into a "frozen state" with Russian forces parked there - in violation of the cease-fire terms - for the foreseeable future. What will next year hold? That will be determined by developments in a few arenas.