The ongoing war between the nation of Ukraine and the Russian Federation has not only ravaged the former but also the world. United States President Joe Biden’s diplomatic decisions in cohesion with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and The United Nations(UN) to send troops to eastern Europe and impose sanctions on Russia have escalated the tensions even further. So, where did it all begin?
It all started during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. When the Soviet Union broke up in the early '90s, Ukraine, a former Soviet Republic, sought the opportunity to become an independent country. At that time, Ukraine had the third-largest atomic arsenal in the world. The United States and Russia worked with Ukraine to denuclearize the country. After a series of diplomatic agreements, Ukraine agreed to return its numerous warheads to Russia in return for protection from the latter. Yet, Russia always had a keen eye for this particular semi-presidential republic.
The principal reason for this critical hostility arose in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and backed a rebellion led by pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donbas region. Russia's assault grew out of mass protests in Ukraine, which toppled the country's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. US diplomats visited the public demonstrations, in symbolic gestures that agitated Putin. Concurrently, the United States and the European Union had imposed sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of the small peninsula, which blocked Russia's access to global capital markets. This decision angered Russia even further, and the lack of lasting resolutions for the conflict has fomented new tensions.
In this case, what is the long-term solution to this ongoing conflict to finally end this war? The US undoubtedly has a pivotal role, with the Biden administration needing to make carefully planned diplomatic arrangements between the two countries. They are also required to provide political, financial and military assistance to Ukraine in case of a fistfight. On the other hand, the Russian Federation must set aside its hostile and aggressive objectives, make a peaceful resolution, and come to terms with Ukraine.
