Russia has made blocking Ukraine's membership in NATO a top priority, as the organization is a military bloc consisting of 28 European and 2 North American countries with the mission of maintaining stability in the North Atlantic. Ukraine is one of only a handful of Eastern European countries that is not a member of the alliance. Russia's expansionist nature is at play in relation to Ukraine, alongside concerns over NATO and demands over weapons and transparency. Putin is just one of many Russians who believes Russia is entitled to the territory of the former Soviet Union. Russia and Ukraine have tangled historical ties. Ukraine was a part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union for a long time. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it declared independence. The annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 was a major spark for the conflict. Since Ukraine considered Crimea to be a part of its territory, international opinion was united in its condemnation of Russia's actions. Russia wants to keep its influence in the region and stop Ukraine from aligning closely with Western institutions like NATO and the European Union, so this conflict has geopolitical implications. The Russo-Ukrainian War, which broke out in 2014, escalated on 24 February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. This invasion represents the largest military operation against a European country since World War II. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are thought to have lost their lives as a result of the conflict. The conflict is still ongoing, and diplomatic efforts to end it are ongoing as well. Despite numerous attempts at ceasefire and diplomatic resolution, no permanent solution has yet been reached. Complex issues and tensions between Russia and Ukraine cannot be resolved quickly or easily.