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Updated December 10th, 2021 at 16:01 IST

EXPLAINED: Why Ukraine plays crucial buffer between Russia & West since end of Cold War?

The ongoing tensions on the Moscow-Kyiv border don't just represent a major security crisis for the region but also play a crucial buffer between Russia & West

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
Ukraine
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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The ongoing tensions on the Moscow-Kyiv border do not just represent a major security crisis for the region but also play a crucial buffer between Russia and the West like the US and the EU are committed to keeping Ukraine away from the control of Putin-led administration. The main reason behind this is that Moscow's actions have clearly shown that it will not take a step back if there is a need for military actions in Kyiv. Back in 2014, Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine, the first time when a European country annexed territory from another nation since World War II.

Recently, it surfaced that Moscow has deployed over 70,000 troops in Ukraine's Donbas region, indicating potential invasion in the coming weeks. The crisis, assumed to be the greatest since Cold War, has highlighted the important role of Ukraine in the global security order. Kyiv has renewed power-rivalry that experts say dominates international relations.

Ukraine, which is now grappling with extreme corruption and regional conflicts, was once the second-most populous state of the Soviet Union with a powerful defence industry, naval fleet and nuclear arsenal. Nearly three decades after its independence, Ukraine has sought the path to a sovereign state after detaching from Soviet nations in 1991, looking to align more closely with European countries. Ukraine has become a battlefield since 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which is the first time after World War II that a European state overtook another. As per CFR.org, more than 14,000 people died in the bloodied conflict that took place since the Balkan war in the 1990s.

IMAGE: TWITTER

[US President Joe Biden along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken discuss security issues entrapping Donbas region, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Image: White House/Twitter]

Why is Ukraine in the middle of a conflict?

Since the fall of the Soviets, Washington pushed to forfeit Ukraine's nuclear weapons, further extending support to stabilise shaky Russian democracy. However, soon after 1994, when US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski described Ukraine as "healthy and stable," and a major counterweight to Russia, US, Russia and UK pledged to respect Ukraine's independence in return for the latter to become a non-nuclear state, CFR mentioned. Twenty years later, after Russia seized Crimea, Ukraine's sovereignty re-emerged as the top priority for US and EU to stall Russian aggression. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Reorganising Naftogaz, a state-run natural gas company has also been a major focus of the US, EU policy of Ukraine.

With the current developments, it has made it easier for Washington to bolster efforts towards countering Russia. On December 7, US President Joe Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation along the eastern border of Ukraine. Reiterating support for Kyiv's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Biden also called for de-escalation of tension and "return to diplomacy." Following the wrap-up of the leader-to-leader meeting on Tuesday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan informed in a press briefing in Washington that the US was preparing for 'specific robust responses' in weeks ahead just as a step ahead.' Additionally, it has also spoken against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which snatches away considerable revenue earned through gas transportation from Russia to the EU countries.

How is Russia involved?

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied speculations of invasion of Ukraine, the actions of Moscow have proved otherwise. In the virtual meeting with President Biden on December 7, Putin stressed that Russia should not be held responsible for the tensions as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was also "making dangerous attempts" to enter the ex-Soviet nation.

Clarifying that Kremlin is "only interested" in reliable guarantees that NATO will not expand eastward, Putin also called upon Biden to ensure that there is no deployment of strike weapons in states adjacent to Russia, Kremlin said in a statement released after the meeting. With such demands, Putin has made it sparklingly clear that he doesn't want the ex-Soviet nation to become "anti-Russian". Additionally, the strategic gains in the Donbas region are also of vital importance to Russia as the presence of forces in the border area will give deeper control into the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa, where it traditionally has limited influence.

(Image: AP)

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Published December 10th, 2021 at 15:45 IST

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