The purpose of this study is to determine the integration prospects of the zone of overlapping geopolitical interests of Russia and Western Europe, which includes both the territories of the former republics of the USSR and some of the Warsaw Pact member countries. The study examines the issues of theoretical substantiation of models of economic integration of regions, also touching on the institutional aspects of this problem. It is concluded that the processes of expansion of the European Union to the East were aimed not at the integration development of the absorbed territories, but at strengthening the international positions of Western Europe and creating a buffer zone for its own economic and political costs. As the economies of the European Union slide into recession, the choice of the Eurasian integration vector becomes more and more obvious.