Summary The political crisis in Ukraine has been called the greatest clash between East and West since the end of the Cold War. With the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula to the Russian Federation, the escalation of the current crisis is increasingly likely. While pro-Russian demonstrators protest in eastern Ukraine, especially in Luhansk and Donetsk, around 40,000 Russian soldiers are massed near the Ukrainian border. Despite numerous attempts by the European Union (EU) and the United States to mitigate the crisis, the problem is still imminent and Crimea is still annexed. Since Russia is “one of the world's largest oil producers (ranking 7th in terms of proven reserves) and the country has by far the largest natural gas reserves (with over 20% of the world's proven reserves)” ( Schmidt-Felzmann, 2011 , p. 575), the West faces enormous challenges in dealing with its geopolitical power. The current politics of the West is extremely dangerous for post-Soviet states that seek to inherit Western ideologies and refuse to be influenced by Moscow. To address the Crimean crisis, challenge Russia, and overcome Ukraine's economic challenges, new policies should be measured and established. Accordingly, the West should consider the following recommendations: • Build a new gas pipeline to challenge Russian state-owned Gazprom, and thus reduce the EU and Ukraine's dependence on Russia. The European Union should consider alternative gas pipelines such as the Nabucco project and import natural gas through the Southern Gas Corridor from the United States as well. • Impose much tougher economic and political sanctions against Russia. As demonstrated by the Crimean crisis and... middle of paper... a severe response. Central Asia Survey, 30(2), 197-211. doi:10.1080/02634937.2011.570121 Diuk, N. (2014). Euromaidan. World Affairs, 176(6), 9-16. Engelhart, K. (2014). How the West can conquer Ukraine. Maclean's, 127(13/14), 36-38.Finon, D. (2011). EU foreign policy on gas transit corridors: autopsy of the stillborn Nabucco project. OPEC Energy Review, 35(1), 47-69. doi:10.1111/j.1753-0237.2010.00185.xHow to sanction Russia. (2014, March 19). Retrieved April 6, 2014, from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141043/lee-s-wolosky/how-to-sanction-russia Llana, S. (2014, March 4). Ukraine's other crisis: an economy in free fall. Christian Science Monitor. PNPAG.Schmidt-Felzmann, A. (2011). EU member states' energy relations with Russia: contrasting approaches to securing natural gas supplies. Geopolitics, 16(3), 574-599. doi:10.1080/14650045.2011.520864