Russia-Ukraine war: A crisis three decades in the making
The war that poses biggest threat to world peace in recent memory, is threatening the global economic recovery and has redrawn the world energy map entered its 100th day on June 3. Read on to find out how did we get to this point
On June 3, the 100th day of the war was marked with Ukrainian and Russian troops locked in brutal combat for the key eastern city of Severodonetsk. When Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the Russian president vowed his forces would not occupy the neighboring country. But as the invasion reached its 100th day on June 3, Russia seemed increasingly unlikely to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war.
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Tensions between Moscow and the West are at an all-time high. Putin has claimed that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the USSR was promised that NATO would not expand beyond East Germany. Putin considers the expansion to Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, and Ukraine drawing closer to NATO, a direct threat to Russia’s security.
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In August 1991, the Ukrainian parliament declared independence from the USSR following an attempted coup in Moscow.
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Twelve years later, on November 21, 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych’s cabinet abandoned an agreement on closer trade ties with EU, seeking closer co-operation with Russia.
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In March 2014, Russia signed a treaty with Crimean leaders to annex the peninsula. In response, G8 leaders removed Russia from the bloc, now the G7. The annexation was declared illegal in a non-binding resolution adopted by UN General Assembly.
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In 2019, actor-comedian Volodymyr Zelensky elected President of Ukraine in a landslide vote, ushering in a new era of Ukraine-Russia relations. In 2021, satellite images showed a build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. Putin called for NATO to guarantee an end to eastward expansion. US President Joe Biden threatened to impose harsh economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.
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Founded in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the world’s most powerful military alliance. It was initially created to curb Soviet expansion.
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On January 2, 2022, Biden promised Zelensky that the US and allies would act ‘decisively’ if Russia further invaded Ukraine. On June 3, 100 days since the invasion; Russia now holds about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.
