Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have existed for a long time. However, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed US President Joe Biden to permit Ukraine to join NATO in 2021, tensions grew.
Ukraine is a democratic nation with a 44 million-person population and a more than 1,000-year history. In terms of territory, it is also the second-largest nation in Europe after Russia.
It made the decision to secede from Moscow following the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to Putin, Ukraine was carved off of Russia by enmities. Additionally, he has called Ukraine a puppet of the West.
Russia wants the West to prevent NATO membership for Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Ukraine's desire to join NATO has not been favorably received by Russia.
If Ukraine is permitted to join NATO, Russia believes that NATO will march closer to its borders. If Ukraine joins NATO, it will be able to rely on the alliance's members for defense against external assaults.
As a result, Russia asks that the West refrain from intervening in Ukraine because Putin wants to reassert Moscow's dominance over the whole post-Soviet region. In addition, Russia lost control of 14 former republics, including Ukraine, as the Soviet Union collapsed.
The West and Ukraine must reassure Russia that it won't join and that they would demilitarize and turn Ukraine into a neutral state, according to the Russian president. Zelensky's request to join NATO infuriated Russia, which then began stationing soldiers close to the Ukrainian border.
In the event that Russia invaded Ukraine, President Biden threatened heavy sanctions. Putin has repeatedly asked the West and Ukraine for assurances that Ukraine will not join NATO.