Ukraine has always been a nation of strategic interest for Russia as it bridges Russia and Europe. The disputed region of Donbas, located in Eastern Ukraine bordering Russia, is predominantly populated with Russian ethnic groups with a shared Russian cultural identity.According to Ukraine, Russians are behind the training of armed rebels in Eastern Ukraine. After Ukraine became a separate country on August 24, 1991, its policy as late as 2014 was influenced by Russia. The former president of Ukraine, Victor Yanukovych, hailing from the communist party, had a strong Soviet leaning.In 2010, Yanukovych’s move to extend its naval base to Russia in the Black Sea in exchange for Russia’s offer to cut the price of natural gas was widely perceived as Ukraine stooping to the demands of the Russian Federation, and the Constitutional amendment pertaining to the removal of the president did not go well with the people.Yanukovych mulled over the European Union [EU] association agreement to recapture the public trust. With mounting pressure from Russia, Yanukovych opted out of the agreement; the decision snowballed into the ‘Euromaidan movement’, and subsequently, Yanukovych fled the country.In 2014, Petro Porasheko took over as president, his credentials being pro-American. The pro-American stance exasperated the Russians to fuel rebels in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.With a controversial referendum, Russia captured Crimea on March 16, 2014 and created a division in Eastern Ukraine, that is, the region of Donbas, where the battle is presently waged.In the meantime, the United States, since Ukraine became a separate State, was curious in its affairs: for instance, the US immediately recognised Ukraine post the disintegration of the Soviet Union, assisted Ukraine and Russia in reaching an agreement on the elimination of the Soviet weapon system in Ukraine, and by 1997, the NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization]-Ukraine partnership started emerging.Despite exuding interest in Ukraine, the paradox is that NATO has displayed mixed signals to Ukraine regarding NATO membership. The NATO Charter provides for collective security measures if one of the NATO members is attacked; by this logic, if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO, the latter is required to wage a full-fledged war with Russia, which because of their trade ties with Russia, NATO member States it wants to avoid. The US is less keen as it does not want a repeat of the Afghanistan fiasco.
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