KYIV. Jan 26 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian political experts have said in 2018 Ukraine and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will come under pressure from western governments and Russia and that Ukraine's opposition should consolidate to achieve strategic objectives for the country.

"Some 18 years – that's how long preparation for conducting the geopolitical battle for Ukraine has been going on. The battle for Ukraine is being fought by the United States, partly Europe and Russia. But I'm talking not about military operations in Donbas. There will be shadow elections technologies," Director of the Global Strategies Institute Vadym Karasiov said during a press conference on Friday hosted by the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to him, the U.S. and western governments "will try to impose a neocolonial system" in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Barometer's sociological service Director Viktor Nebozhenko also believes pressure will be brought to bear on Poroshenko.

"…We are talking about principled personal pressure on Poroshenko, who is between a rock and a hard place: the International Monetary Fund, U.S. Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker, European Union, U.S. State Department and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine persistently address one figure – the president. The same goes for the Kremlin." He added that the Kremlin has only just begun to pressure Poroshenko psychologically and politically.