Ukraine and Russian Tensions Rise as US Moves to Take Action
Current tensions on the Ukraine/Russia border are at the greatest than we have seen in decades, rivaling the tensions of the Cold War. While this escalation has been a more recent development in the tensions between Russia and NATO, this is not the first time Russia has attempted to take over Ukraine. Back in 2014, along with the annexation of Crimea, Russian-backed separatists began to resist Ukrainian control in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine. What is now known as the Donbas conflict, which is being fought by those same Russian-backed separatists and the Ukraine military, has already left more than 13,000 dead.
In October 2021, Russia began assembling their army across this same border. As of now, over 100,000 Russian troops are currently stationed there. The Ukrainian president, Volodymir Zeleinsky, posted a video to his page telling his people, “Take a breath, calm down.” He wants to keep the Ukrainian people from panic, and in his eyes, that means the Russians are already starting to win. Another reason cited was that this panic would cause a destabilization of the Ukrainian economy.
The U.S. has 8,000 troops on standby, and 3,000 troops are stationed in eastern Europe. The U.S. has also sent arms to the Ukrainian government to help them be better prepared for an invasion and has also been meeting Russia’s aggression in the diplomatic forum of the UN as well.
During a UN security council on Febuary 1st, the Russian representative for the UN accused the west of allowing “pure Nazis” to take control of Russia’s boarder, and accused the US of trying to “weaken Russia and create an arc of instabiltiy around it.” The US representative, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reminded the council of the history of aggression that Russia has had, saying that, “If Russia further invades Ukraine, none of us will be able to say we didn’t see it coming.”
Russia has also made a demand for Ukraine to be excluded from the NATO security umbrella and for NATO troops to be removed from eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet countries threatening to ”take military action should its demands not be met,” says Thomas-Greenfield. Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine. Russia’s UN representative, Vasily Nebenzya, has even gone as far to say, ”Not a single Russian politician, not a single public figure, not a single person said that we are planning to attack Ukraine.”
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, founded in 1949, has been at the forefront of the escalation. This is because Ukraine has become a sponsor of NATO, which has sparked controversy for a country who has historically been in the sphere of influence for Russia. NATO was originally formed to deter Russian/Soviet aggression and expansion during the Cold War, so an ex-Soviet country being sponsored by NATO is seen as an act of Western aggression.
While the US plans to support Ukraine against a possible Russian invasion, the rest of NATO is left unsure. Germany, a pivotal country in NATO, has been the most apprehensive to take action. This is due to Russian natural gas, which makes more than 50% of Germany’s reserves. As such, Germany and other European countries are slow to enforce sanctions on Russia due to fear of a possible seavering of natural gas resources to the region.
To combat this, the United States plans to send fuel from the US to Europe, but due to how much gas comes from Russia, it will not be an equitable switch. Even while the threat of a possible energy crisis looms, the countries of NATO continue to send troops into the South-east region of Europe and to countries such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. While these actions are meant to reinforce the NATO presence in ex-soviet countries, there are no plans for these troops to move into Ukraine should Russia mount an invasion.
While NATO and the U.S. prepare for an invasion, Russia has been strengthening its ties with China. During the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony, Vladimir Putin and Xi JinpIng held a meeting between the two countries. The U.S. had hoped China would deter Russia from an invasion, looking instead for a diplomatic solution. But Xi Jinping has stayed silent, cementing to the US China’s willingness to support Russia’s endeavors.
By Holden Gruel