Between Russia and the EU lie the countries of the EU's Eastern Partnership. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, from the Caucasus mountains to the Black Sea coast, all these countries are performing a balancing act between better relationships with Moscow and Brussels. The November 2013 Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, which currently has the rotating presidency of the EU, promises to be more than another summit - far reaching Trade and Association Agreements are to be signed with many of them, notably with Ukraine. Russia is following these developments in its 'zone of privileged interests' or Near Abroad with more than mixed feelings, and the occasional threat. Armenia has already made its choice, joining the Russian-lead Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan in September. What will Ukraine do? And the other countries? A group of experts from academia, the EU, Eastern Partnership countries and Civil Society will preview the developments of the summit, making up the balance of the last few years, and looking forward to the future of Russia, the EU, and all the countries in between.