With Ukraine war, Europe’s geopolitical map is moving again

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Russia has lost influence and friends since the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1989. But the nuclear superpower still holds sway over several of its neighbors in Europe and keeps others in an uneasy neutrality. The Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine and the humanitarian tragedy it provoked over the past two weeks has raised a Western outcry of heartfelt support. The war has also spawned calls for a fundamental rethink of how the geopolitical map of Europe should be redrawn in the future. To anchor that in the reality of 2022 is far more difficult than may appear at first sight.