While the competitive dynamic between Russia and the West has come to a head in Ukraine, all of the "in-between" states - Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan - are objects of a contest among outside powers. Samuel Charap, Alyssa Demus and Jeremy Shapiro et al suggest in this study by RAND Europe that this contest has become a negative-sum game, benefiting none of the parties. They explore alternatives to the current approaches to the regional order for the states "in between" and  offer recommendations that seek to foster a regional architecture which is both appropriate for these countries, and acceptable to the West and Russia.
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF300/CF382/RAND_CF382.pdf

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