100,000 Russian soldiers line up at the border of Ukraine as they prepare to invade the country. Some say the tension between the two nations will lead to another world war, while others believe this dispute will soon pass. Nevertheless, the circumstances are getting increasingly worse, and the United States is ready to interfere.

The pressure between Russia and Ukraine has many worried; however, the countries have been in conflict since 1991, when Ukraine won independence after the Soviet Union dissolved. Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected Russia’s proposal for an association agreement to mend relationships, causing some Ukrainian citizens to violently protest.

“People think that Russia is the bad guy, but they wanted to be in good standing with Ukraine in the first place. So in a way, what is happening is Ukraine’s fault,” Caleb Guatier, freshman, said.

 Recently, chaos has broken out as a result of Ukraine’s request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a corporation that aims to guarantee freedom to nations through military force. Russia strongly opposes Ukraine’s proposal to join due to the American army bases that would be placed on the border between the two countries. 

“I believe Russia should refrain from interfering with Ukraine trying to join NATO unless it threatens the safety of other nations,” Jada Masic, sophomore, said.

Fighting and destruction has erupted in Donbas, Ukraine as citizens who support Russia protest the current issue. Over 14,000 soldiers and civilians have died due to the uprising and President Zelensky has accused Russia of sending troops and weapons to the rebels. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to speak with America on the issue but wants legal reassurance that Ukraine would not be admitted into NATO; however, this request has been turned down. 

“America needs to be careful dealing with other countries right now; we cannot afford to fight a war at this point,” Mason Smith, senior, said.

The Pentagon has put 8,500 United States troops on standby for an Eastern European deployment. NATO claimed it was sending ships and jets to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, but Russia has stated that these actions are aggravating the situation.  Many are unsure about what will happen between the countries, but it is still important to stay positive during these times.