Tensions Escalate Between Russia and Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world. The Russians have many demands for the United States, such as a complete withdrawal of all North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)   weapons from Eastern Europe and a guarantee that Ukraine will never be allowed into NATO. Experts agree these demands are not serious, with Russia aware that the U.S. is unlikely to agree to them. The intention behind this set of demands lies in Putin’s desire to re-establish Russia as a dominant player on the world stage. 

Where Putin goes  from here is anyone’s guess, but to truly understand what he wants from this conflict, it’s necessary to look at the last forty years of Russia’s relationship with the West.  In 1949, NATO was created to combat Soviet aggression in Europe. After the Soviet Union–Russia’s pact of communist countries–collapsed in 1991, the Warsaw pact dissolved as well. Ukraine, the historical heartland of Russia, separated and became an independent country. For Russia, this was humiliating.

This is the backdrop upon which Vladimir Putin rose to power, and he has made his views on Ukrainian sovereignty clear. Speaking with President George Bush in 2008, Putin stated, “Ukraine is not a country.”

Furthermore, Putin has made a point of negotiating solely with the United States and refusing to negotiate directly with Ukraine, signifying that he views Ukraine as a pawn of the West instead of a legitimate independent country.

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However, this true takeover of Ukraine has proven difficult to the extent that many modern Ukrainans and Russians see each other in a favorable light. Nicolas K. ‘23, a first-generation American student at Athenian whose family is originally from Russia, reiterated this belief. “There is a lot of respect between Russians and Ukranians. We view each other as brothers,” Nicolas said. “Because of that, I don’t think a lot of people would be that happy about an invasion, so it would be difficult for Putin to hold public support.” 

However, many point out that Putin doesn’t operate under the same code of ethics as other world leaders. Lea Hartog, a humanities teacher at Athenian, expressed this view. “Putin doesn’t have to answer to the will of the people,” Hartog said. “There is no accountability if he makes a mistake or does something wrong, which emboldens him to make riskier moves. That’s why I believe the U.S. has an obligation to protect Ukraine—because we have to show that democracy will be protected around the world.”

But there are limitations to what Putin has the power to do, and this full invasion of Ukraine may have terrible consequences for his country. If Putin continueshandhexpands his invasions, a serious military counter-offensive by the West could escalate to all-out war, one Russia would almost surely lose, and would result in vast amounts of casualties for both sides. Because of the inevitable loss of life in that situation, the West doesn’t want to see this play out—something Putin can use to his advantage. No matter  whathPutin chooses to do next, his actions will be crucial to the future of democracy and to Russia’s relationship with Western nations in the coming decades. His decisions will hinge upon the degree to which he is willing to sacrifice his own agenda. 

  Taking over Ukraine will have serious consequences for his country in the years to come, as would any additional invasions Putin might think to carry out, but he appears set on being the man who took Ukraine back for Russia.