Russia and Ukraine have been involved in a 14-year conflict that has become increasingly tense over the past few months.
The conflict began in 2008, when NATO–a military alliance between several western European countries and the United States and Canada–declared that Ukraine could one day become part of it. NATO was originally created in 1949 to work against possible Russian invasions in Europe following World War II. Since 1949, 18 countries have joined NATO and there are currently 30 countries involved. Ukraine, while not a member of NATO, is seen as a sort of “partner country,” with the possibility that it could join in the future.
In 2014, Ukraine overthrew its president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych. A year earlier, in 2013, protests began in Ukraine after Yanukovych did not sign an agreement that would have more closely aligned Ukraine with the European Union. After the killings of at least 88 Ukrainians, most of whom were protestors, by the Ukrainian military, Ukrainians officially set out to overthrow Yanukovych. When they were successful, he fled to Russia and now lives there in exile. However, after the takedown of Yanukovych, Russia annexed Crimea, which is part of Ukraine. And, as the New York Times writes, “Moscow also fomented a separatist rebellion that took control of part of the Donbas region of Ukraine, in a war that still grinds on, having killed more than 13,000 people.” The rocky relationship between Russia and Ukraine is nothing new.
Russia does not want Ukraine to join NATO. It sees itself as very closely aligned with Ukraine, and has immense power over it. Western countries, like the United States, are refusing to bar Ukraine from NATO, which only makes Russia angrier. In the past years, NATO has further expanded to include many Eastern European countries, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, believes that NATO is robbing Russia of its power and its empire. Ukraine joining NATO would be Russia’s final straw; although this is only a possibility, Russia is threatened by and large.
This past week, Russia has severely amped up its military presence on the Ukraine border. According to U.S. officials, there are 130,000 troops in total. On February 11, the United States warned that threats of an invasion are high. The U.S. has backed Ukraine with equipment worth $200 million, but is not sending troops to Ukraine. Ukraine would most likely not be able to stop this invasion. The U.S. and Britain have expressed their belief that Russia should suffer severe consequences if they invade Ukraine. As of right now, Russian diplomats have expressed more openness in terms of communication with both Ukraine and the West. Russia has also claimed that it is pulling some troops off the border, but this is yet to be confirmed by U.S. officials.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, believes that Ukraine joining NATO is essential for its national security. But in a press conference, President Zelensky stated that the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO may be just “like a dream.”
