ABSTRACT
On September 24, 2011, Putin suggested to the United Russia party conference that Medvedev stand at the top of the party list for the parliamentary elections in December. The developments in the Russian-Ukrainian relationship that have occurred since the return of Putin to the presidency are particularly important when considering Euro-Atlantic security. While the crisis over Ukraine was the active conflict in the region, the frozen conflicts of the post-Soviet area, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Transdniestria. Conflicting reports, therefore, over the extent of his role during the conflict can be seen as not only a way to build up Putin own standing but also as a way of reducing the role of Medvedev during his presidency. With the return of Putin to the presidency, Russia's relations with the regional security organisations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), have experienced some changes.
