After the “Orange Revolution” of 2005 Ukraine, under the leadership of President Viktor Yushchenko, became a strategic but fragile ally of the USA and NATO in their rivalry with Russia for influence in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. To reduce Europe's and its own energy dependency on Russian oil and gas, Ukraine has tried, with uncertain results, to build economic partnerships with energy producing Eurasian states and even with Iran in the hope of bypassing Russian pipeline routes. However, this policy has not always been economically viable and has met with strong opposition from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and within the Ukraine itself.
