Moscow’s menacing military maneuvers in recent weeks have sparked concern that Russia may be preparing to invade Ukraine again. Tens of thousands of Russian troops are now stationed near the Ukrainian border, including some battalions that have moved thousands of miles from their usual training bases. In recent months, the Russian navy has ramped up its presence in the Black Sea and the eastern Sea of Azov. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made jingoistic remarks about Ukrainian sovereignty.
Meanwhile, leaders in Kyiv have been working to shore up diplomatic support from their Western allies, should the Kremlin attempt to invade again. Washington has made clear that Russian escalation would lead to major new sanctions and more US military assistance to Ukraine.
Is Moscow preparing to invade Ukraine once more? Or is this just a gigantic bluff? What can the US and Europe do to support Ukrainian sovereignty and deter Putin from another military operation?
Dr. Emily Channell-Justice, director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute, provides welcoming remarks. Ambassador Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, Dr. T.X. Hammes, distinguished research fellow with the Center for Strategic Research at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University, Ambassador John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Dr. Hanna Shelest, director of security studies at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism,” join to discuss Russia’s latest menacing military maneuvers and assess what they might mean for Ukrainian and European security. Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Eurasia Center, moderates.
issue spotlight
Europe in crisis
War in Ukraine
In February 2022, Moscow launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine after a months-long military build-up, threatening the country’s sovereignty and its future. This existential moment for the country follows the 2014 Maidan revolution, a nexus for Ukraine’s Europe-focused foreign policy and reform efforts. The ensuing Russian invasion and occupation of Crimea, aggression in Ukraine’s east, and Kremlin disinformation efforts, cast a shadow over Ukraine’s independence.
RELATED experts
The Eurasia Center’s mission is to promote policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.