Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the second half of 1991, its two largest European republics, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine, have been going their separate ways. An independent Ukraine, as a geopolitical factor, plays a crucial role for the balance of power in Eastern Europe for the first time in this century. This volume brings together lectures from a scientific conference of the Göttingen Working Group from 1994. Experts from Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Germany analyze the political, economic, and social development of the two Slavic neighbors since the fall of Gorbachev and under their presidents Yeltsin and Kravchuk, respectively. They also formulate responses to the question of whether Ukraine's independence—similar to the early 1920s—will affect Moscow's efforts.