Tensions along the Ukraine-Russia border have been heightening since early December 2021. With the deployment of 150,000 Russian troops in the past month along the Ukraine border, many fear an invasion.

These tensions between Ukraine and Russia began back in 2014 when Russia annexed the long disputed peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine. A separatist movement then broke out in eastern Ukraine just weeks later, and Russia rushed to support it. In the past eight years, nearly 15,000 people have died due to the conflict.

Bringing this issue to the present day, as of December 17, 2021, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has disclosed his list of demands to the Western nations. Putin promised that if met, these demands would put an end to this potential invasion. These demands also, as expected, are unreasonable and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has refused to meet them.

NATO is a military alliance between 30 different nations across Europe, North America and Asia involving the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed in 1949. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine has been trying to become a NATO nation, but many things have been preventing it–one of these things being land and military conflicts with Russia. Now, Putin is demanding that Ukraine’s membership request to NATO be denied. Ukraine becoming a NATO nation would prevent Russia from influencing western Europe, and Putin has made it clear that he wants Russia to have that kind of influence. The countries who met with Putin, including the U.S., obviously refused to meet this criteria.

As of February 15, Russia stated that it was withdrawing troops from the border, but U.S. forces in Ukraine claim that Russia is lying and say that they have actually added 7,000 troops.

President Biden is anticipating a Russian invasion of Ukraine within the next few days.

While there is some talk of diplomacy with Russia, the United States has removed their embassy from Ukraine and are withdrawing guardsmen from the country; however, U.S. troops are being deployed to Europe in the event that future military action is needed.